A note on optimal error estimates for finite element approximations of a nonlinear two-point boundary-value problem

AbstractIn this note we derive optimal error estimates for finite element approximations of a restricted class of one-dimensional nonlinear elliptic problems. The operators involved are monotone and differentiable, and it is assumed that the solutions are smooth

A Priori error analyses of a stabilized discontinuous Galerkin method

AbstractWe introduce a new stabilized discontinuous Galerkin method within a new function space setting, that is closely related to the discontinuous Galerkin formulation by Oden, Babuška and Baumann [1], but involves an extra stabilization term on the jumps of the normal fluxes across the element interfaces. The formulation satisfies a local conservation property and we prove well posedness of the new formulation. A priori error estimates are derived, which are verified by 1D and 2D experiments on a reaction-diffusion type model problem

A posteriori error estimators for second order elliptic systems part 2. An optimal order process for calculating self-equilibrating fluxes

AbstractWe present full details of an algorithm which can be used to obtain self-equilibrating fluxes for arbitrary h-p finite element approximations. All of the calculations are performed on a local scale, yielding an optimal order process-O(n), where n is the number of elements in the mesh. Owing to the local nature of the process, the algorithm is perfectly suited to parallel implementation. The algorithm can be applied in both two and three dimensions for unstructured, k-irregular meshes and elements of non-uniform degree. Finally, it is shown that the implementation of the flux equilibration algorithm can take advantage of calculations already performed in obtaining the finite element approximation itself

An existence theorem for a class of nonlinear shallow shell problems

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Multiscale Partition of Unity

We introduce a new Partition of Unity Method for the numerical homogenization of elliptic partial differential equations with arbitrarily rough coefficients. We do not restrict to a particular ansatz space or the existence of a finite element mesh. The method modifies a given partition of unity such that optimal convergence is achieved independent of oscillation or discontinuities of the diffusion coefficient. The modification is based on an orthogonal decomposition of the solution space while preserving the partition of unity property. This precomputation involves the solution of independent problems on local subdomains of selectable size. We deduce quantitative error estimates for the method that account for the chosen amount of localization. Numerical experiments illustrate the high approximation properties even for 'cheap' parameter choices.Comment: Proceedings for Seventh International Workshop on Meshfree Methods for Partial Differential Equations, 18 pages, 3 figure

On the contact detection for contact-impact analysis in multibody systems

One of the most important and complex parts of the simulation of multibody systems with contact-impact involves the detection of the precise instant of impact. In general, the periods of contact are very small and, therefore, the selection of the time step for the integration of the time derivatives of the state variables plays a crucial role in the dynamics of multibody systems. The conservative approach is to use very small time steps throughout the analysis. However, this solution is not efficient from the computational view point. When variable time step integration algorithms are used and the pre-impact dynamics does not involve high-frequencies the integration algorithms may use larger time steps and the contact between two surfaces may start with initial penetrations that are artificially high. This fact leads either to a stall of the integration algorithm or to contact forces that are physically impossible which, in turn, lead to post-impact dynamics that is unrelated to the physical problem. The main purpose of this work is to present a general and comprehensive approach to automatically adjust the time step, in variable time step integration algorithms, in the vicinity of contact of multibody systems. The proposed methodology ensures that for any impact in a multibody system the time step of the integration is such that any initial penetration is below any prescribed threshold. In the case of the start of contact, and after a time step is complete, the numerical error control of the selected integration algorithm is forced to handle the physical criteria to accept/reject time steps in equal terms with the numerical error control that it normally uses. The main features of this approach are the simplicity of its computational implementation, its good computational efficiency and its ability to deal with the transitions between non contact and contact situations in multibody dynamics. A demonstration case provides the results that support the discussion and show the validity of the proposed methodology.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Direct Numerical Simulation of Interfacial Flows: Implicit Sharp-Interface Method (I-SIM)

In recent work (Nourgaliev, Liou, Theofanous, JCP in press) we demonstrated that numerical simulations of interfacial flows in the presence of strong shear must be cast in dynamically sharp terms (sharp interface treatment or SIM), and that moreover they must meet stringent resolution requirements (i.e., resolving the critical layer). The present work is an outgrowth of that work aiming to overcome consequent limitations on the temporal treatment, which become still more severe in the presence of phase change. The key is to avoid operator splitting between interface motion, fluid convection, viscous/heat diffusion and reactions; instead treating all these non-linear operators fully-coupled within a Newton iteration scheme. To this end, the SIM’s cut-cell meshing is combined with the high-orderaccurate implicit Runge-Kutta and the “recovery” Discontinuous Galerkin methods along with a Jacobian-free, Krylov subspace iteration algorithm and its physics-based preconditioning. In particular, the interfacial geometry (i.e., marker’s positions and volumes of cut cells) is a part of the Newton-Krylov solution vector, so that the interface dynamics and fluid motions are fully-(non-linearly)-coupled. We show that our method is: (a) robust (L-stable) and efficient, allowing to step over stability time steps at will while maintaining high-(up to the 5th)-order temporal accuracy; (b) fully conservative, even near multimaterial contacts, without any adverse consequences (pressure/velocity oscillations); and (c) highorder-accurate in spatial discretization (demonstrated here up to the 12th-order for smoothin-the-bulk-fluid flows), capturing interfacial jumps sharply, within one cell. Performance is illustrated with a variety of test problems, including low-Mach-number “manufactured” solutions, shock dynamics/tracking with slow dynamic time scales, and multi-fluid, highspeed shock-tube problems. We briefly discuss preconditioning, and we introduce two physics-based preconditioners – “Block-Diagonal” and “Internal energy-Pressure-Velocity Partially Decoupled”, demonstrating the ability to efficiently solve all-speed flows with strong effects from viscous dissipation and heat conduction