A least-squares finite element method for time-dependent incompressible flows with thermal convection

The time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations and the energy balance equation for an incompressible, constant property fluid in the Boussinesq approximation are solved by a least-squares finite element method based on a velocity–pressure–vorticity–temperature–heat-flux ( u –P–ω–T– q ) formulation discretized by backward finite differencing in time. The discretization scheme leads to the minimization of the residual in the l²-norm for each time step. Isoparametric bilinear quadrilateral elements and reduced integration are employed. Three examples, thermally driven cavity flow at Rayleigh numbers up to 10⁶, lid-driven cavity flow at Reynolds numbers up to 10⁴ and flow over a square obstacle at Reynolds number 200, are presented to validate the method.     

Non-linear viscoelastodynamic equations of three-dimensional rotating structures in finite displacement and finite element discretization

This paper deals with the non-linear viscoelastodynamics of three-dimensional rotating structure undergoing finite displacement. In addition, the non-linear dynamics is studied with respect to geometrical and mechanical perturbations. On part of the boundary of the structure, a rigid body displacement field is applied which moves the structure in a rotation motion. A time-dependent Dirichlet condition is applied to another part of the boundary. For instance, this corresponds to the cycle step of a helicopter rotor blade. A surface force field is applied to the third part of the boundary and depends on the time history of the structural displacement field. For example, this might corresponds to general unsteady aerodynamics forces applied to the structure. The objective of this paper is to model the non-linear dynamic behavior of such a rotating viscoelastic structure undergoing finite displacements, and to allow small geometrical and mechanical (mass, constitutive equations) perturbations analysis to be performed. The model is constructed by the introduction of a reference configuration which is deduced from the non-linear steady boundary value problem. A constitutive equation deduced from the Coleman and Noll theory concerning the viscoelasticity in finite displacement is used. Thereafter, the weak formulation of the boundary value problem is constructed and discretized using the finite element method. In order to simplify the mathematical study of the equations, multilinear forms are introduced in the algebraic calculation and their mathematical properties are presented.     

A constrained theory of a Cosserat point for the numerical solution of dynamic problems of non-linear elastic rods with rigid cross-sections

A constrained theory of a Cosserat point has been developed for the numerical solution of non-linear elastic rods. The cross-sections of the rod element are constrained to remain rigid but tangential shear deformations and axial extension are admitted. As opposed to the more general theory with deformable cross-sections, the kinetic coupling equations in the numerical formulation of the constrained theory are expressed in terms of the simple physical quantities of force and mechanical moment applied to the common ends of neighboring elements. Also, in contrast with standard finite element methods, the Cosserat element uses a direct approach to the development of constitutive equations. Specifically the kinetic quantities are determined by algebraic expressions which are obtained by derivatives of a strain energy function. Most importantly, no integration is needed over the element region. A number of example problems have been considered which indicate that the constrained Cosserat element can be used to model large deformation dynamic response of non-linear elastic rods.     

Fundamental solutions of the streamfunction–vorticity formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations

A new boundary element procedure is developed for the solution of the streamfunction–vorticity formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations in two dimensions. The differential equations are stated in their transient version and then discretized via finite differences with respect to time. In this discretization, the non-linear inertial terms are evaluated in a previous time step, thus making the scheme explicit with respect to them. In the resulting discretized equations, fundamental solutions that take into account the coupling between the equations are developed by treating the non-linear terms as in homogeneities. The resulting boundary integral equations are solved by the regular boundary element method, in which the singular points are placed outside the solution domain.     

控制棒驱动机构步跃提升碰撞的动力学建模

控制棒驱动机构(CRDM)在步跃提升时,钩爪部件会与承压壳体上的提升磁极发生面面碰撞。本文基于混合坐标法建立控制棒驱动机构有限元离散的刚-柔耦合动力学方程,用罚函数法计算了钩爪部件与承压壳体之间的碰撞力和应力分布情况。结果表明,刚柔耦合多体方法在仿真小变形碰撞时可以提高计算效率,同时又能达到与有限元方法同等的精度。进一步对碰撞模型不同区域的网格疏密和尺寸大小做了定量分析,得到了降低有限元网格数量的方法,可为工程中碰撞模型的网格划分提供参考。     

An efficient parallel and fully implicit algorithm for the simulation of transient free-surface flows of multimode viscoelastic liquids

The parallelization of a fully implicit and stable finite element algorithm with relative low memory requirements for the accurate simulation of time-dependent, free-surface flows of multimode viscoelastic liquids is presented. It is an extension of our multi-stage sequential solution procedure which is based on the mixed finite element method for the velocity and pressure fields, an elliptic grid generator for the deformation of the mesh, and the discontinuous Galerkin method for the viscoelastic stresses [Dimakopoulos and Tsamopoulos [12], [14]]. Each one of the above subproblems is solved with the Newton–Rapshon technique according to its particular characteristics, while their coupling is achieved through Picard cycles. The physical domain is graphically partitioned into overlapping subdomains. In the process, two different kinds of parallel solvers are used for the solution of the distributed set of flow and mesh equations: a multifrontal, massively parallel direct one (MUMPS) and a hierarchical iterative parallel one (HIPS), while viscoelastic stress components are independently calculated within each finite element. The parallel algorithm retains all the advantages of its sequential predecessor, related with the robustness and the numerical stability for a wide range of levels of viscoelasticity. Moreover, irrespective of the deformation of the physical domain, the mesh partitioning remains invariant throughout the simulation. The solution of the constitutive equations, which constitutes the largest portion of the system of the governing, non-linear equations, is performed in a way that does not need any data exchange among the cluster's nodes. Finally, indicative results from the simulation of an extensionally thinning polymeric solution, demonstrating the efficiency of the algorithm are presented.     

A postprocessing mixed finite element method for the Navier–Stokes equations

A fully discrete postprocessing mixed finite element scheme is considered for solving the time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations. In the PP method, we only consider a non-linear equation in the coarse-level subspace and a linear problem in the fine-level subspace. The analysis shows that the PP scheme can reach the same accuracy as the standard Galerkin method with a very fine mesh size h by an appropriate choice of H. Numerical examples are provided that confirm both the theoretical analysis and the corresponding improvement in computational efficiency.     

Non-linear wave modulation in a prestressed viscoelastic thin tube filled with an inviscid fluid

In the present work, the propagation of weakly non-linear waves in a prestressed thin viscoelastic tube filled with an incompressible inviscid fluid is studied. Considering that the arteries are initially subjected to a large static transmural pressure P₀ and an axial stretch λ_z and, in the course of blood flow, a finite time-dependent displacement is added to this initial field, the governing non-linear equation of motion in the radial direction is obtained. Using the reductive perturbation technique, the propagation of weakly non-linear, dispersive and dissipative waves is examined and the evolution equations are obtained. Utilizing the same set of governing equations the amplitude modulation of weakly non-linear and dissipative but strongly dispersive waves is examined. The localized travelling wave solution to these field equations are also given.     

Numerical solution of the steady incompressible Navier—Stokes equations for the flow past a sphere by a multigrid defect correction technique

A nested non-linear multigrid algorithm is developed to solve the Navier–Stokes equations which describe the steady incompressible flow past a sphere. The vorticity–streamfunction formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations is chosen. The continuous operators are discretized by an upwind finite difference scheme. Several algorithms are tested as smoothing steps. The multigrid method itself provides only a first-order-accurate solution. To obtain at least second-order accuracy, a defect correction iteration is used as outer iteration. Results are reported for Re = 50, 100, 400 and 1000.     

Finite element for the dynamic analysis of pipes subjected to water hammer

An axisymmetric finite element is developed for the dynamic analysis of pipes subjected to water hammer. The analysis seamlessly captures the pipe response due to water hammer by solving first the water hammer mass and momentum conservation equations, to recover the spatial–temporal distribution of the internal pressure, and then uses the predicted pressure history to form a time-dependent energy equivalent load vector within a finite element model. The study then determines the pipe response by solving the finite element discretized equations of motion. The formulation of the pipe response is based on Hamilton’s principle in conjunction with a thin shell theory formulation, and captures inertial and damping effects. The results predicted by the model are shown to be in agreement with those based on an axisymmetric shell model in Abaqus for static, free vibration and transient responses for benchmark problems. The water hammer and structural models are seamlessly integrated to enable advancing the transient solution well into the time domain to capture the effect of reflected pressure wave due to water hammer. The results indicate that the radial stress/displacement oscillations approach those of the quasi-steady response when the valve closure time exceeds eight times the period of radial vibrations obtained for the case of instantaneous valve closure.     

Effect of temperature dependent viscosity on revolving axi-symmetric ferrofluid flow with heat transfer

The prime objective of the present study is to examine the effect of temperature dependent viscosity μ(T) on the revolving axi-symmetric laminar boundary layer flow of an incompressible, electrically non-conducting ferrofluid in the presence of a stationary plate subjected to a magnetic field and maintained at a uniform temperature. To serve this purpose, the non-linear coupled partial differential equations are firstly converted into the ordinary differential equations using well-known similarity transformations. The popular finite difference method is employed to discretize the non-linear coupled differential equations. These discretized equations are then solved using the Newton method in MATLAB, for which an initial guess is made with the help of the Flex PDE Solver. Along with the velocity profiles, the effects of temperature dependent viscosity are also examined on the skin friction, the heat transfer, and the boundary layer displacement thickness. The obtained results are presented numerically as well as graphically.     

Broadband passive targeted energy pumping from a linear dispersive rod to a lightweight essentially non-linear end attachment

We examine non-linear resonant interactions between a damped and forced dispersive linear finite rod and a lightweight essentially non-linear end attachment. We show that these interactions may lead to passive, broadband and on-way targeted energy flow from the rod to the attachment, which acts, in essence, as non-linear energy sink (NES). The transient dynamics of this system subject to shock excitation is examined numerically using a finite element (FE) formulation. Parametric studies are performed to examine the regions in parameter space where optimal (maximal) efficiency of targeted energy pumping from the rod to the NES occurs. Signal processing of the transient time series is then performed, employing energy transfer and/or exchange measures, wavelet transforms, empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert transforms. By computing intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) of the transient responses of the NES and the edge of the rod, and examining resonance captures that occur between them, we are able to identify the non-linear resonance mechanisms that govern the (strong or weak) one-way energy transfers from the rod to the NES. The present study demonstrates the efficacy of using local lightweight non-linear attachments (NESs) as passive broadband energy absorbers of unwanted disturbances in continuous elastic structures, and investigates the dynamical mechanisms that govern the resonance interactions influencing this passive non-linear energy absorption.     

Non-linear response of a beam to periodic loading

The steady state response of a non-linear beam under periodic excitation is investigated. The non-linearity is attributed to the membrane tension effect which is induced in the beam when the deflection is not small in comparison to its thickness. The effects of multimode participation are investigated for simply supported and clamped boundary conditions. The finite element technique is used to formulate the non-linear differential equations of the straight beam and the method of averaging is used to obtain an approximate solution to the non-linear equations under harmonic loading. An analog computer was used to simulate the non-linear beam equation which was subjected to harmonic excitation. The agreement between theoretical and experimental values is reasonably good.     

Lagrangian finite element analysis applied to viscous free surface fluid flow

A new Lagrangian finite element formulation is presented for time-dependent incompressible free surface fluid flow problems described by the Navier-Stokes equations. The partial differential equations describing the continuum motion of the fluid are discretized using a Galerkin procedure in conjunction with the finite element approximation. Triangular finite elements are used to represent the dependent variables of the problem. An effective time integration procedure is introduced and provides a viable computational method for solving problems with equality of representation of the pressure and velocity fields. Its success has been attributed to the strict enforcement of the continuity constraint at every stage of the iterative process. The capabilities of the analysis procedure and the computer programs are demonstrated through the solution of several problems in viscous free surface fluid flow. Comparisons of results are presented with previous theoretical, numerical and experimental results.     

Non-linear dynamics of a drill-string with uncertain model of the bit–rock interaction

The drill-string dynamics is difficult to predict due to the non-linearities and uncertainties involved in the problem. In this paper a stochastic computational model is proposed to model uncertainties in the bit–rock interaction model. To do so, a new strategy that uses the non-parametric probabilistic approach is developed to take into account model uncertainties in the bit–rock non-linear interaction model. The mean model considers the main forces applied to the column such as the bit–rock interaction, the fluid–structure interaction and the impact forces. The non-linear Timoshenko beam theory is used and the non-linear dynamical equations are discretized by means of the finite element method.     

Dynamic response of composite sandwich plates subjected to time-dependent pressure pulses

The dynamic response of orthotropic sandwich composite plates impacted by time-dependent external blast pulses is studied by use of numerical techniques. The theory is based on classical sandwich plate theory including the large deformation effects, such as geometric non-linearities, in-plane stiffness and inertias, and shear deformation. The equations of motion for the plate are derived by the use of the virtual work principle. Approximate solutions are assumed for the space domain and substituted into the equations of motion. Then the Galerkin Method is used to obtain the non-linear differential equations in the time domain. The finite difference method is applied to solve the system of coupled non-linear equations. The results of theoretical analyses are obtained and compared with ANSYS results. Effects of the face sheet number, as well as those related to the ply-thickness, core thickness, geometrical non-linearities, and of the aspect ratio are investigated. Detailed analyses of the influence of different type of pressure pulses on dynamic response are carried out.     

Homogenization of two-phase elasto-plastic composite materials and structures: Study of tangent operators,cyclic plasticity and numerical algorithms

We develop homogenization schemes and numerical algorithms for two-phase elasto-plastic composite materials and structures. A Hill-type incremental formulation enables the simulation of unloading and cyclic loadings. It also allows to handle any rate-independent model for each phase. We study the crucial issue of tangent operators: elasto-plastic (or “continuum”) versus algorithmic (or “consistent”), and anisotropic versus isotropic. We apply two methods of extraction of isotropic tangent moduli. We compare mathematically the stiffnesses of various tangent operators. All rate equations are discretized in time using implicit integration. We implemented two homogenization schemes: Mori–Tanaka and a double inclusion model, and two plasticity models: classical J₂ plasticity and Chaboche’s model with non-linear kinematic and isotropic hardenings. We consider composites with different properties and present several discriminating numerical simulations. In many cases, the results are validated against finite element (FE) or experimental data. We integrated our homogenization code into the FE program ABAQUS using a user material interface UMAT. A two-scale procedure allows to compute realistic structures made of non-linear composite materials within reasonable CPU time and memory usage; examples are shown.     

Linear stability and dynamics of viscoelastic flows using time-dependent numerical simulations

Ultimately, numerical simulation of viscoelastic flows will prove most useful if the calculations can predict the details of steady-state processing conditions as well as the linear stability and non-linear dynamics of these states. We use finite element spatial discretization coupled with a semi-implicit θ-method for time integration to explore the linear and non-linear dynamics of two, two-dimensional viscoelastic flows: plane Couette flow and pressure-driven flow past a linear, periodic array of cylinders in a channel. For the upper convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid, the linear stability analysis for the plane Couette flow can be performed in closed form and the two most dangerous, although always stable, eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are known in closed form. The eigenfunctions are non-orthogonal in the usual inner product and hence, the linear dynamics are expected to exhibit non-normal (non-exponential) behavior at intermediate times. This is demonstrated by numerical integration and by the definition of a suitable growth function based on the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors. Transient growth of the disturbances at intermediate times is predicted by the analysis for the UCM fluid and is demonstrated in linear dynamical simulations for the Oldroyd-B model. Simulations for the fully non-linear equations show the amplification of this transient growth that is caused by non-linear coupling between the non-orthogonal eigenvectors. The finite element analysis of linear stability to two-dimensional disturbances is extended to the two-dimensional flow past a linear, periodic array of cylinders in a channel, where the steady-state motion itself is known only from numerical calculations. For a single cylinder or widely separated cylinders, the flow is stable for the range of Deborah number (De) accessible in the calculations. Moreover, the dependence of the most dangerous eigenvalue on De≡λV/R resembles its behavior in simple shear flow, as does the spatial structure of the associated eigenfunction. However, for closely spaced cylinders, an instability is predicted with the critical Deborah number De_c scaling linearly with the dimensionless separation distance L between the cylinders, that is, the critical Deborah number De_Lc≡λV/L is shown to be an O(1) constant. The unstable eigenfunction appears as a family of two-dimensional vortices close to the channel wall which travel downstream. This instability is possibly caused by the interaction between a shear mode which approaches neutral stability for De ≫ 1 and the periodic modulation caused by the presence of the cylinders. Nonlinear time-dependent simulations show that this secondary flow eventually evolves into a stable limit cycle, indicative of a supercritical Hopf bifurcation from the steady base state.     

Transient solutions for three-dimensional lid-driven cavity flows by a least-squares finite element method

A time-accurate least-squares finite element method is used to simulate three-dimensional flows in a cubic cavity with a uniform moving top. The time- accurate solutions are obtained by the Crank-Nicolson method for time integration and Newton linearization for the convective terms with extensive linearization steps. A matrix-free algorithm of the Jacobi conjugate gradient method is used to solve the symmetric, positive definite linear system of equations. To show that the least-squares finite element method with the Jacobi conjugate gradient technique has promising potential to provide implicit, fully coupled and time-accurate solutions to large-scale three-dimensional fluid flows, we present results for three-dimensional lid-driven flows in a cubic cavity for Reynolds numbers up to 3200.