Abstract

The first superconvergent hybridisable discontinuous Galerkin method for linear elastic problems capable of using the same degree of approximation for both the primal and mixed variables is presented. The key feature of the method is the strong imposition of the symmetry of the stress tensor by means of the well known and extensively used Voigt notation, circumventing the use of complex mathematical concepts to enforce the symmetry of the stress tensor either weakly or strongly. A novel procedure to construct element by element a superconvergent postprocessed displacement is proposed. Contrary to other hybridisable discontinuous Galerkin formulations, the methodology proposed here is able to produce a superconvergent displacement field for low-order approximations. The resulting method is robust and locking-free in the nearly incompressible limit. An extensive set of numerical examples is utilised to provide evidence of the optimality of the method and its superconvergent properties in two and three dimensions and for different element types

Abstract

A face-centred finite volume (FCFV) method is proposed for linear elastostatic problems. The FCFV is a mixed hybrid formulation, featuring a system of first-order equations, that defines the unknowns on the faces (edges in two dimensions) of the mesh cells. The symmetry of the stress tensor is strongly enforced using the well-known Voigt notation and the displacement and stress fields inside each cell are obtained by means of explicit formulas. The resulting FCFV method is robust and locking-free in the nearly incompressible limit. Numerical experiments in two and three dimensions show optimal convergence of the displacement and the stress fields without any reconstruction. Moreover, the accuracy of the FCFV method is not sensitive to mesh distortion and stretching. Classical benchmark tests including Kirch’s plate and Cook’s membrane problems in two dimensions as well as three dimensional problems involving shear phenomenons, pressurised thin shells and complex geometries are presented to show the capability and potential of the proposed methodology.

Abstract

A strategy to couple continuous Galerkin (CG) and hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) discretizations based only on the HDG hybrid variable is presented for linear thermal and elastic problems. The hybrid CG-HDG coupling exploits the definition of the numerical flux and the trace of the solution on the mesh faces to impose the transmission conditions between the CG and HDG subdomains. The con- tinuity of the solution is imposed in the CG problem via Nitsche’s method, whereas the equilibrium of the flux at the interface is naturally enforced as a Neumann con- dition in the HDG global problem. The proposed strategy does not affect the core structure of CG and HDG discretizations. In fact, the resulting formulation leads to a minimally-intrusive coupling, suitable to be integrated in existing CG and HDG libraries. Numerical experiments in two and three dimensions show optimal global convergence of the stress and superconvergence of the displacement field, locking-free approximation, as well as the potential to treat structural problems of engineering interest featuring multiple materials with compressible and nearly incompressible behaviors. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Computational mechanics.