A structured tri-tree search method for generation of optimal unstructured finite element grids in two and three dimensions

A new method for generating finite element grids in two and three dimensions is developed. The method is based on a new search tree structure. The search tree is built upon triangles in two dimensions and tetrahedra in three dimensions. The density of elements can be varied throughout the computational domain. Efficient search algorithms for finding points in space and for finding the boundary of the domain have been developed. The speed of the grid algorithm will permit adaptive gridding during computation. The grid algorithm is generally applicable to both hydrodynamic as well as aerodynamic finite element computations. The technique has been used with success for gridding the North Sea-Skagerrak area.     

基于不同时间步长时域非结构有限体积法模拟声-弹性耦合问题

介绍一种改进的时域非结构有限体积法(FVM),并将其应用于声-弹性耦合问题。在流体与固体介质中分别求解声波动方程与弹性波方程,根据交界面上的力平衡与质点振速连续条件考虑二者的相互作用。同时考虑双线性四边形单元的线性变化项及常数项,并结合常应变三角形单元处理混合网格问题。分别对三角形单元和四边形单元进行色散分析,给出声波动方程的稳定性条件。在不同介质中采用不同时间步长,提高计算效率。求解弹性波问题、声-弹性耦合问题,结果表明,改进后的方法求解声-弹性耦合问题是有效和准确的,并且具有良好的数值稳定性。     

A method for generating irregular computational grids in multiply connected planar domains

A method for generating irregular triangular computational grids in two-dimensional multiply connected domains is described. A set of points around each body is defined using a simple grid generation technique appropriate to the geometry of each body. The Voronoi regions associated with the resulting global point distribution are constructed from which the Delaunay triangulation of the set of points is thus obtained. The definition of Voronoi regions ensures that the triangulation produces triangles of reasonable aspect ratios given a grid point distribution. The approach readily accommodates local clustering of grid points to facilitate variable resolution of the domain. The technique is generally applicable and has been used with success in computing triangular grids in multiply connected planar domains. The suitability of such grids for flow calculations is demonstrated using a finite element method for solution of the inviscid transonic flow over two- dimensional high-lift aerofoil configurations.     

三维非均匀介质中弹性波传播的数值模拟

提出了一种三维非均匀介质中弹性波传播数值模拟的方法,文中称为三维格子法。该算法是二维格子法（一种二维非均匀介质中P－SV波传播的数值模拟算法）向三维非均匀介质情况的推广。在空间离散上该文方法与有限元方法类似,容许根据连续体的形状和介质分界面任意剖面网格,且自然满足自由表面边界条件。不同于常规有限差分法在各个节点上满足动力学微分方程,该算法通过满足各节点周围格子的整体平衡（积分平衡方程）来对问题进行求解,三维格子法所需的计算机内存及计算耗时与同阶精度的规则网格有限差分法相当。算例表明,该文提出的三维格子法具有较高的精度且可很好地模拟三维复杂形状地表对弹性波的反射和绕射。     

二维自适应网格生成的改进AFT与背景网格法

在基于重生成的自适应有限元网格生成算法研究中,将推进波前法（AFT）与背景网格法结合并提出改进方法,有效地解决了网格生成和单元尺寸计算这两个关键问题。改进的AFT方法,将前沿区分为活跃前沿和非活跃前沿两类,在选取目标前沿时既考虑前沿尺寸又考虑前沿分类。改进的背景网格法,利用结构化栅格对背景网格进行管理,在栅格中直接存放背景网格中的单元,既提高了新单元尺寸的计算速度,又从数值上保证了新生成网格中单元之间尺寸合理过渡。     

An algorithm of finite element grid generation for three-dimensional complex connected domain

An automated quasi three-dimensional finite element grid generation method is presented for particular three-dimensional complex connected domain, across which some are simply connected two-dimensional.regions and some are multiply connected two-dimensional regions. A subdivision algorithm based on the variational principle has been developed to ascertain the smoothness and orthogonality of the generated grid in any cross sections. Smooth transition between the simply and multiply connected regions is maintained. For illustration, the method is applied to generate a finite element three-dimensional grid for human above knee stump.     

多边形有限元研究进展

有限元法是数值求解偏微分方程边值问题的重要方法,采用不规则多边形单元网格, 可以方便有效地模拟材料的力学性能, 又使得区域网格剖分变得灵活方便. 特别是对于复杂的几何形状, 多边形单元网格具有更大的优势. 本文对国内外有关多边形有限元法的最新进展作了初步的总结和评述, 主要以基于位移法的多边形有限元为主.论述了多边形有限元的发展历史, 给出了多边形单元上的Wachspress插值、Laplace插值和重心坐标的一些最新研究成果. 与经典有限元法形函数为多项式形式不同, 多边形单元的形函数为有理函数或者无理函数形式. 多边形单元插值形函数满足线性完备性, 可以再现线性位移场, 像经典有限元法一样直接施加本质边界条件; 插值函数在多边形的边界上是线性的,确保不同单元间的自动协调. 不同单元的插值形函数表达公式形式统一, 方便混合单元网格计算的程序编写. 提出了多边形有限元法今后需要研究的问题.      

A finite volume method for numerical grid generation

A novel method to generate body‐fitted grids based on the direct solution for three scalar functions is derived. The solution for scalar variables ξ, η and ζ is obtained with a conventional finite volume method based on a physical space formulation. The grid is adapted or re‐zoned to eliminate the residual error between the current solution and the desired solution, by means of an implicit grid‐correction procedure. The scalar variables are re‐mapped and the process is reiterated until convergence is obtained. Calculations are performed for a variety of problems by assuming combined Dirichlet–Neumann and pure Dirichlet boundary conditions involving the use of transcendental control functions, as well as functions designed to effect grid control automatically on the basis of boundary values. The use of dimensional analysis to build stable exponential functions and other control functions is demonstrated. Automatic procedures are implemented: one based on a finite difference approximation to the Cristoffel terms assuming local‐boundary orthogonality, and another designed to procure boundary orthogonality. The performance of the new scheme is shown to be comparable with that of conventional inverse methods when calculations are performed on benchmark problems through the application of point‐by‐point and whole‐field solution schemes. Advantages and disadvantages of the present method are critically appraised. Copyright © 1999 National Research Council of Canada.     

A one-dimensional moving grid solution for the coupled non-linear equations governing multiphase flow in porous media. 1: Model development

A straightforward moving grid finite element method is developed to solve the one-dimensional coupled system of non-linear partial differential equations (PDEs) governing two- and three-phase flow in porous media. The method combines features from a number of self-adaptive grid techniques. These techniques are the equidistribution, the moving grid finite element and the local grid refinement/coarsening methods. Two equidistribution criteria, based on solution gradient and curvature, are employed and nodal distributions are computed iterativcly. Using the developed approach, an intermingle-free nodal distribution is guaranteed. The method involves examination of a single representative gradient to facilitate the application of moving grid algorithms to solve a non-linear coupled set of PDEs and includes a feature to limit mass balance error during nodal redistribution. The finite element part of the developed algorithm is verified against an existing finite difference model. A numerical simulation example involving a single-front two-phase flow problem is presented to illustrate model performance. Additional simulation examples are given in Part 2 of this paper. These examples include single and double moving fronts in two- and three-phase flow systems incorporating source/sink terms. Simulation sensitivity to the moving grid parameters is also explored in Part 2.     

Analysis of thermo-mechanical behaviour of a crack using XFEM for Leak-before-Break assessments

The stresses near a crack which has a fluid escaping through it are presented in this paper. The pressure and heat flux, due to the fluid acting on the crack walls, are imposed as boundary conditions in a new finite element tool which has been developed specifically for Leak-before-Break. This special tool uses the extended finite element method to include information about the problem on a sub element level. It is shown to be as accurate as standard finite element models which use very refined meshes, but having the added benefit of being much quicker to implement, and vastly reducing postprocessing. This means that leak rates can be investigated more efficiently. The model is thermo-elastic, and plasticity is accounted for by a correction to the crack opening displacement based on the R6 method. Both crack opening area and peak stresses are shown to decrease when the walls of the crack are hotter than the background plate temperature. The consequences of this for Leak-before-Break assessments are discussed in the paper.     

爆炸荷载作用下钢筋混凝土梁的动力响应及破坏形态分析

对基于Timoshenko梁理论建立的非线性动力有限元法作了改进。根据压区理论得到混凝土的平均剪应力和平均剪应变关系,建立了能反映箍筋的抗剪作用的材料模型;此外,对结构在爆炸荷载作用下可能出现的各种响应现象进行了描述,以准确地预测梁破坏时不同位置截面上钢筋和混凝土的受力、变形及破坏情况。应用改进的材料模型,对爆炸荷载作用下的五个钢筋混凝土试验梁的动力响应和破坏形态进行了数值模拟,结果表明,该数值方法能较好地模拟钢筋混凝土梁的弯曲、弯剪和剪切等破坏形态。     

Periodic solutions of rigid body–viscous flow interaction

This paper describes the work on extending the finite element method to cover interactions between a viscous flow and a moving body. The problem configuration of interest is that of an arbitrarily shaped body undergoing a simple harmonic motion in an otherwise undisturbed incompressible fluid. The finite element modelling is based on a primitive variables representation of the Navier-Stokes equations using curved isoparametric elements. The non-linear boundary conditions on the moving body are obtained using Taylor series expansion to approximate the velocities at the fixed finite element grid points. The method of averaging is used to analyse the resulting periodic motion of the fluid. The stability of the periodic solutions is studied by introducing small perturbations and applying Floquet theory. Numerical results are obtained for several example body shapes and compared with published experimental results. Good agreement is obtained for the basic non-linear phenomenon of steady streaming.     

The three-dimensional prolonged adaptive unstructured finite element multigrid method for the Navier–Stokes equations

This paper presents the development of the three- dimensional prolonged adaptive finite element equation solver for the Navier–Stokes equations. The finite element used is the tetrahedron with quadratic approximation of the velocities and linear approximation of the pressure. The equation system is formulated in the basic variables. The grid is adapted to the solution by the element Reynolds number. An element in the grid is refined when the Reynolds number of the element exceeds a preset limit. The global Reynolds number in the investigation is increased by scaling the solution for a lower Reynolds number. The grid is refined according to the scaled solution and the prolonged solution for the lower Reynolds number constitutes the start vector for the higher Reynolds number. Since the Reynolds number is the ratio of convection to diffusion, the grid refinements act as linearization and symmetrization of the equation system. The linear equation system of the Newton formulation is solved by CGSTAB with coupled node fill-in preconditioner. The test problem considered is the three-dimensional driven cavity flow. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two‐dimensional,unstructured mesh generation for tidal models

The successful implementation of a finite element model for computing shallow‐water flow requires the identification and spatial discretization of a surface water region. Since no robust criterion or node spacing routine exists, which incorporates physical characteristics and subsequent responses into the mesh generation process, modelers are left to rely on crude gridding criteria as well as their knowledge of particular domains and their intuition. Two separate methods to generate a finite element mesh are compared for the Gulf of Mexico. A wavelength‐based criterion and an alternative approach, which employs a localized truncation error analysis (LTEA), are presented. Both meshes have roughly the same number of nodes, although the distribution of these nodes is very different. Two‐dimensional depth‐averaged simulations of flow using a linearized form of the generalized wave continuity equation and momentum equations are performed with the LTEA‐based mesh and the wavelength‐to‐gridsize ratio mesh. All simulations are forced with a single tidal constituent, M₂. Use of the LTEA‐based procedure is shown to produce a superior (i.e., less error) two‐dimensional grid because the physics of shallow‐water flow, as represented by discrete equations, are incorporated into the mesh generation process. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface grid generation with a linkage to geometric generation

This paper describes a new method to generate surface grids over complex configurations defined by a geometric generation system. The scheme is designed for direct utilization of the surface definition provided by a geometric modeller based on a boundary representation (the so-called B-rep modeller). Thus, the conversion of the geometric representation for the surface grid generator is not required. Consequently, this technique eliminates not only laborious tedium in the conversion of data, but also errors in the representation of the surface induced in the process of the conversion. The proposed method is accomplished over several stages. First, the triangulation is performed on the surface of the geometry, on which the area to be grided is laid. Then linear partial differential equations are mapped and solved on these triangular elements. Finally, the surface grid is constructed by searching for the contours inside the solution domain. After the co-ordinate values of the grid points are obtained by a linear interpolation within each triangular element, these values are mapped onto the surface of the geometry through surface parametric functions provided by the B-rep modeller. An example of generating surface grid over a car configuration is given to illustrate the capability of the method.     

The improved space–time conservation element and solution element scheme for two‐dimensional dam‐break flow simulation

A new numerical scheme, namely space–time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method, has been used for the solution of the two‐dimensional (2D) dam‐break problem. Distinguishing from the well‐established traditional numerical methods (such as characteristics, finite difference, finite element, and finite‐volume methods), the CE/SE scheme has many non‐traditional features in both concept and methodology: space and time are treated in a unified way, which is the most important characteristic for the CE/SE method; the CEs and SEs are introduced, both local and global flux conservations in space and time rather than space only are enforced; an explicit scheme with a stagger grid is adopted. Furthermore, this scheme is robust and easy to implement. In this paper, an improved CE/SE scheme is extended to solve the 2D shallow water equations with the source terms, which usually plays a critical role in dam‐break flows. To demonstrate the accuracy, robustness and efficiency of the improved CE/SE method, both 1D and 2D dam‐break problems are simulated numerically, and the results are consistent with either the analytical solutions or experimental results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ADAPTIVE LINEARIZATION AND GRID ITERATIONS WITH THE TRI-TREE MULTIGRID REFINEMENT–RECOARSEMENT ALGORITHM FOR THE NAVIER–STOKES EQUATIONS

The tri-tree algorithm for refinements and recoarsements of finite element grids is explored. The refinement–recoarsement algorithm not only provides an accurate solution in certain parts of the grid but also has a major influence on the finite element equation system itself. The refinements of the grid lead to a more symmetric and linear equation matrix. The recoarsements will ensure that the grid is not finer than is necessary for preventing divergence in an iterative solution procedure. The refinement–recoarsement algorithm is a dynamic procedure and the grid is adapted to the instant solution. In the tri-tree multigrid algorithm the solution from a coarser grid is scaled relatively to the increase in velocity boundary condition for the finer grid. In order to have a good start vector for the solution of the finer grid, the global Reynolds number or velocity boundary condition should not be subject to large changes. For each grid and velocity solution the element Reynolds number is computed and used as the grid adaption indicator during the refinement–recoarsement procedure. The iterative tri-tree multigrid method includes iterations with respect to the grid. At each Reynolds number the same boundary condition s are applied and the grid is adapted to the solution iteratively until the number of unknowns and elements in the grid becomes constant. In the present paper the following properties of the tri-tree algorithm are explored: the influence of the increase in boundary velocities and the size of the grid adaption indicator on the amount of work for solving the equations, the number of linear iterations and the solution error estimate between grid levels. The present work indicates that in addition to the linear and non-linear iterations, attention should also be given to grid adaption iterations. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A parallel two-level finite element method for the Navier-Stokes equations

Based on domain decomposition, a parallel two-level finite element method for the stationary Navier-Stokes equations is proposed and analyzed. The basic idea of the method is first to solve the Navier-Stokes equations on a coarse grid, then to solve the resulted residual equations in parallel on a fine grid. This method has low communication complexity. It can be implemented easily. By local a priori error estimate for finite element discretizations, error bounds of the approximate solution are derived. Numerical results are also given to illustrate the high efficiency of the method.     

多孔格栅均匀化模型平压仿真分析

为了研究均匀化方法在一种多孔格栅结构中的应用,从格栅单胞尺度入手,建立了一种适用于有限元仿真分析的三维周期性边界条件.以ABAQUS作为分析平台,对周期性边界条件下的格栅单胞模型进行了平压仿真分析,并将仿真结果与文献实验结果对比,验证了该边界条件的可靠性.利用均匀化理论建立了格栅单胞力学平衡方程,得到了格栅均匀化模型....