Abstract

An improvement of the classical finite element method is proposed. It is able to exactly represent the geometry by means of the usual CAD description of the boundary with Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS). Here, the two-dimensional case is presented. For elements not intersecting the boundary, a standard finite element interpolation and numerical integration is used. But elements intersecting the NURBS boundary need a specifically designed piecewise polynomial interpolation and numerical integration. A priori error estimates are also presented. Finally, some examples demonstrate the applicability and benefits of the proposed methodology. NEFEM is at least one order of magnitude more precise than the corresponding isoparametric finite element in every numerical example shown.

This is the case for both continuous and discontinuous Galerkin formulations. Moreover, for a desired precision NEFEM is also more computational efficient, as shown in the numerical examples. The use of NEFEM is strongly recommended in the presence of curved boundaries and/or when the boundary of the domain has complex geometric details. The possibility of computing accurate solution with coarse meshes and high order interpolations, makes NEFEM a more efficient strategy than classical isoparametric FE.

Abstract

In this work the NURBS-Enhanced Finite Element Method (NEFEM) is combined with a Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) formulation for the numerical solution of the Euler equations of gas dynamics. With the NEFEM approach numerical fluxes along curved boundaries are computed much more accurately due to the exact geometric representation of the computational domain. The proper implementation of the wall boundary condition provides accurate results even with a linear interpolation of the solution. A detailed comparison of the NEFEM in front of isoparametric finite elements (FE) is presented, demonstrating the superiority of the NEFEM approach for both linear and higher order computations.

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present a new framework for the design of discontinuous Galerkin (dG) methods for elliptic problems. The idea is to start from a hybrid formulation of the problem involving as unknowns the main field in the interior of the element domains and its fluxes and traces on the element boundaries. Rather than working with this three-field formulation, fluxes are modeled using finite difference expressions and then the traces are determined by imposing continuity of fluxes, although other strategies could be devised. This procedure is applied to four elliptic problems, namely, the convection–diffusion equation (in the diffusion dominated regime), the Stokes problem, the Darcy problem and the Maxwell problem. We justify some well known dG methods with some modifications that in fact allow to improve the performance of the original methods, particularly when the physical properties are discontinuous.

Abstract

A discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method with solenoidal approximation for the simulation of incompressible flow is proposed. It is applied to the solution of the Stokes equations. The interior penalty method is employed to construct the DG weak form. For every element, the approximation space for the velocity field is decomposed as the direct sum of a solenoidal space and an irrotational space. This allows to split the DG weak form into two uncoupled problems: the first one solves for the velocity and the hybrid pressure (pressure along the mesh edges) and the second one allows the computation of the pressure in the element interior. Furthermore, the introduction of an extra penalty term leads to an alternative DG formulation for the computation of solenoidal velocities with no presence of pressure terms. Pressure can then be computed as a post-process of the velocity solution. Numerical examples demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodologies.

Abstract

In this work, the NURBS-enhanced finite element method (NEFEM) is combined with a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) formulation for the numerical solution of Euler equations of gas dynamics. With NEFEM, numerical fluxes along curved boundaries are computed much more accurately due to the exact geometric representation of the computational domain. The proper implementation of the wall boundary condition and the exact geometry provide accurate results even with a linear approximation of the solution. A detailed comparison of NEFEM in front of isoparametric finite elements is presented, demonstrating the superiority of NEFEM approach for both linear and higher-order computations

Abstract

An improvement to the classical finite element (FE) method is proposed. It is able to exactly represent the geometry by means of the usual CAD description of the boundary with non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS). Here, the 2D case is presented. For elements not intersecting the boundary, a standard FE interpolation and numerical integration are used. But elements intersecting the NURBS boundary need a specifically designed piecewise polynomial interpolation and numerical integration. A priori error estimates are also presented. Finally, some examples demonstrate the applicability and benefits of the proposed methodology. NURBS-enhanced finite element method (NEFEM) is at least one order of magnitude more precise than the corresponding isoparametric FE in every numerical example shown. This is the case for both continuous and discontinuous Galerkin formulations. Moreover, for a desired precision, NEFEM is also more computationally efficient, as shown in the numerical examples. The use of NEFEM is strongly recommended in the presence of curved boundaries and/or when the boundary of the domain has complex geometric details. The possibility of computing an accurate solution with coarse meshes and high-order interpolations makes NEFEM a more efficient strategy than classical isoparametric FE. 

Abstract

This paper presents the extension of the recently proposed NURBS-enhanced finite element method (NEFEM) to 3D domains. NEFEM is able to exactly represent the geometry of the computational domain by means of its CAD boundary representation with non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) surfaces. Specific strategies for interpolation and numerical integration are presented for those elements affected by the NURBS boundary representation. For elements not intersecting the boundary, a standard finite element rationale is used, preserving the efficiency of the classical FEM. In 3D NEFEM special attention must be paid to geometric issues that are easily treated in the 2D implementation. Several numerical examples show the performance and benefits of NEFEM compared with standard isoparametric or cartesian finite elements. NEFEM is a powerful strategy to efficiently treat curved boundaries and it avoids excessive mesh refinement to capture small geometric features.

Abstract

The development of NURBS-Enhanced Finite Element Method (NEFEM) is revisited. This technique allows a seamless integration of the CAD boundary representation of the domain and the finite element method (FEM). The importance of the geometrical model in finite element simulations is addressed and the benefits and potential of NEFEM are discussed and compared with respect to other curved finite element techniques.

Abstract

Discontinuous Galerkin methods have emerged in recent years as an alternative for nonlinear conservation equations. In particular, their inherent structure (a numerical flux based on a suitable approximate Riemann solver introduces some stabilization) suggests that they are specially adapted to capture shocks. However, numerical fluxes are not sufficient to stabilize the solution in the presence of shocks. Thus, slope limiter methods, which are extensions of finite volume methods, have been proposed. These techniques require, in practice, mesh adaption to localize the shock structure. This is is more obvious for large elements typical of high-order approximations. Here, a new approach based on the introduction of artificial diffusion into the original equations is presented. The order is not systematically decreased to one in the presence of the shock, large high-order elements can be used, and several linear and nonlinear tests demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methodology.

Abstract

This article presents a novel shock-capturing technique for the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method. The technique is designed for compressible flow problems, which are usually characterized by the presence of strong shocks and discontinuities. The inherent structure of standard DG methods seems to suggest that they are especially adapted to capture shocks because of the numerical fluxes based on suitable approximate Riemann solvers, which, in practice, introduces some stabilization. However, the usual numerical fluxes are not sufficient to stabilize the solution in the presence of shocks for large high-order elements. Here, a new basis of shape functions is introduced. It has the ability to change locally between a continuous or discontinuous interpolation depending on the smoothness of the approximated function. In the presence of shocks, the new discontinuities inside an element introduce the required stabilization because of numerical fluxes. Large high-order elements can therefore be used and shocks captured within a single element, avoiding adaptive mesh refinement and preserving the locality and compactness of the DG scheme. Several numerical examples for transonic and supersonic flows are studied to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.