Structured mesh generation with smoothness controls

In geometrically complex domains, the Ryskin and Leal (RL) orthogonal mesh generation system may cause mesh distortion and overlapping problems when using the ‘weak constraint’ method with specified boundary point distribution for all boundaries. To resolve these problems, an improved RL system with automatic smoothness control is proposed. In this improved RL system, the automatic smoothness control mechanism is based on five types of smoothness conditions and includes the self‐adjustment mechanism and the auto‐evaluation mechanism for an empirical parameter. The proposed system is illustrated using several test examples. Several applications to natural domains are also demonstrated. It is shown that the improved RL system is capable of resolving the above problems at little cost of orthogonality. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2D nearly orthogonal mesh generation

The Ryskin and Leal (RL) system is the most widely used mesh generation system for the orthogonal mapping. However, when this system is used in domains with complex geometry, particularly in those with sharp corners and strong curvatures, serious distortion or overlapping of mesh lines may occur and an acceptable solution may not be possible. In the present study, two methods are proposed to generate nearly orthogonal meshes with the smoothness control. In the first method, the original RL system is modified by introducing smoothness control functions, which are formulated through the blending of the conformal mapping and the orthogonal mapping; while in the second method, the RL system is modified by introducing the contribution factors. A hybrid system of both methods is also developed. The proposed methods are illustrated by several test examples. Applications of these methods in a natural river channel are demonstrated. It is shown that the modified RL systems are capable of producing meshes with an adequate balance between the orthogonality and the smoothness for complex computational domains without mesh distortions and overlapping. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An hp‐adaptive discontinuous Galerkin method for shallow water flows

An adaptive spectral/hp discontinuous Galerkin method for the two‐dimensional shallow water equations is presented. The model uses an orthogonal modal basis of arbitrary polynomial order p defined on unstructured, possibly non‐conforming, triangular elements for the spatial discretization. Based on a simple error indicator constructed by the solutions of approximation order p and p?1, we allow both for the mesh size, h, and polynomial approximation order to dynamically change during the simulation. For the h‐type refinement, the parent element is subdivided into four similar sibling elements. The time‐stepping is performed using a third‐order Runge–Kutta scheme. The performance of the hp‐adaptivity is illustrated for several test cases. It is found that for the case of smooth flows, p‐adaptivity is more efficient than h‐adaptivity with respect to degrees of freedom and computational time. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ensemble data assimilation applied to an adaptive mesh ocean model

In this study, a first attempt has been made to introduce mesh adaptivity into the ensemble Kalman fiter (EnKF) method. The EnKF data assimilation system was established for an unstructured adaptive mesh ocean model (Fluidity, Imperial College London). The mesh adaptivity involved using high resolution mesh at the regions of large flow gradients and around the observation points in order to reduce the representativeness errors of the observations. The use of adaptive meshes unavoidably introduces difficulties in the implementation of EnKF. The ensembles are defined at different meshes. To overcome the difficulties, a supermesh technique is employed for generating a reference mesh. The ensembles are then interpolated from their own mesh onto the reference mesh. The performance of the new EnKF data assimilation system has been tested in the Munk gyre flow test case. The discussion of this paper will focus on (a) the development of the EnKF data assimilation system within an adaptive mesh model and (b) the advantages of mesh adaptivity in the ocean data assimilation model. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Projection‐based variational multiscale method for incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in time‐dependent domains

A variational multiscale method for computations of incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in time‐dependent domains is presented. The proposed scheme is a three‐scale variational multiscale method with a projection‐based scale separation that uses an additional tensor valued space for the large scales. The resolved large and small scales are computed in a coupled way with the effects of unresolved scales confined to the resolved small scales. In particular, the Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model is used to model the effects of unresolved scales. The deforming domain is handled by the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian approach and by using an elastic mesh update technique with a mesh‐dependent stiffness. Further, the choice of orthogonal finite element basis function for the resolved large scale leads to a computationally efficient scheme. Simulations of flow around a static beam attached to a square base, around an oscillating beam and around a plunging aerofoil are presented. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

薄板理论的正交关系及其变分原理

利用平面弹性与板弯曲的相似性理论，将弹性力学新正交关系中构造对偶向量的思路推广到 各向同性薄板弹性弯曲问题，由混合变量求解法直接得到对偶微分方程并推导了对应的变分 原理. 所导出的对偶微分矩阵具有主对角子矩阵为零矩阵的特点. 发现了两个独立的、对称 的正交关系，利用薄板弹性弯曲理论的积分形式证明了这种正交关系的成立. 在恰当选择对 偶向量后，弹性力学的新正交关系可以推广到各向同性薄板弹性弯曲理论.     

一种基于双前沿推进的边界层网格生成算法

高雷诺数粘性流动模拟对边界层内的网格正交性有特殊要求.对于复杂外形,这类问题的网格自动化生成十分困难.面向该问题,提出一种双前沿推进思想,并形成一种面向复杂几何外形的边界层网格全自动生成算法.结合多种网格技术处理局部几何特征以保证边界层网格的质量.双前沿推进思想同时适用于多块结构网格和混合网格的边界层网格生成.多个模型...     

Dispersion and stability analyses of the linearized two‐dimensional shallow water equations in boundary‐fitted co‐ordinates

In the present investigation, a Fourier analysis is used to study the phase and group speeds of a linearized, two‐dimensional shallow water equations, in a non‐orthogonal boundary‐fitted co‐ordinate system. The phase and group speeds for the spatially discretized equations, using the second‐order scheme in an Arakawa C grid, are calculated for grids with varying degrees of non‐orthogonality and compared with those obtained from the continuous case. The spatially discrete system is seen to be slightly dispersive, with the degree of dispersivity increasing with an decrease in the grid non‐orthogonality angle or decrease in grid resolution and this is in agreement with the conclusions reached by Sankaranarayanan and Spaulding (J. Comput. Phys., 2003; 184 : 299–320). The stability condition for the non‐orthogonal case is satisfied even when the grid non‐orthogonality angle, is as low as 30° for the Crank Nicolson and three‐time level schemes. A two‐dimensional wave deformation analysis, based on complex propagation factor developed by Leendertse (Report RM‐5294‐PR, The Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA, 1967), is used to estimate the amplitude and phase errors of the two‐time level Crank–Nicolson scheme. There is no dissipation in the amplitude of the solution. However, the phase error is found to increase, as the grid angle decreases for a constant Courant number, and increases as Courant number increases. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

平面裂纹问题的h, p, hp型自适应无网格方法的研究

无网格方法以其独特的优点：不需“网格”（即节点间的连接信息）划分,特别适合自适应的分析,在分析中只需要高梯度域简单地插入离散点（ｈ型）或保持模型节点数、分布、覆盖大小均不变,中增加高误差覆盖上的函数的多项式阶次（ｐ型）,便可以得到更高精度的数值模型。针对平面弹性问题发展和推导一种显式后验误差指示公式,对平面裂纹实例进行了ｈ型,ｐ型,ｈｐ型三种不同类型的无网格自适应分析,数值分析结果表明了这种自适应     

基于射线穿透法的GPU并行阶梯型有限差分网格生成算法

三维大规模有限差分网格生成技术是三维有限差分计算的基础，网格生成效率是三维有限差分网格生成的研究热点。传统的阶梯型有限差分网格生成方法主要有射线穿透法和切片法。本文在传统串行射线穿透法的基础上，提出了基于GPU （graphic processing unit）并行计算技术的并行阶梯型有限差分网格生成算法。并行算法应用基于分批次的数据传输策略，使得算法能够处理的数据规模不依赖于GPU内存大小，平衡了数据传输效率和网格生成规模之间的关系。为了减少数据传输量，本文提出的并行算法可以在GPU线程内部相互独立的生成射线起点坐标，进一步提高了并行算法的执行效率和并行化程度。通过数值试验的对比可以看出，并行算法的执行效率远远高于传统射线穿透法。最后，通过有限差分计算实例可以证实并行算法能够满足复杂模型大规模数值模拟的需求。     

Orthogonal grid generation for Navier–Stokes computations

Body conforming orthogonal grids were generated using a fast hyperbolic method for aerofoils, and were used to solve the Navier–Stokes equation in the generalized orthogonal system for the first time for time accurate simulation of incompressible flow. For grid generation, the Beltrami equation and the definition equation for the orthogonality are solved using a finite difference method. The grids generated around aerofoils by this method have better orthogonality than the results published by earlier investigators. The Navier–Stokes equation at Reynolds numbers of 3000 and 35 000 for NACA 0012 and NACA 0015 respectively, have been solved as an application. The obtained results match quite well with the corresponding experimental results. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

弹性力学的一种正交关系

在弹性力学求解新体系中，将对偶向量进行重新排序后，提出了一种新的对偶微分矩阵，对于有一个方向正交的各向异性材料的三维弹性力学问题发现了一种新的正交关系．将材料的正交方向取为z轴，证明了这种正交关系的成立．对于z方向材料正交的各向异性弹性力学问题，新的正交关系包含弹性力学求解新体系提出的正交关系。     

并行有限元网格生成方法及其应用

大型工程数值仿真中,在前处理阶段需要生成千万甚至亿量级的网格,传统的串行网格生成方法由于内存和时间的限制,难以处理如此规模的网格。针对此问题,本文提出了一种大规模网格并行生成方法。首先基于推进波前法对几何模型进行初始体网格划分,接着利用图论理论进行区域分解,并通过表面单元恢复保持其几何精度,然后通过分裂法进行网格的并行生成。将所述方法应用到实际大型工程数值仿真前处理阶段,结果表明所述方法可以获得较好的并行效率,同时所产生的网格质量可以满足后续计算需要。     

Collocated discrete least‐squares (CDLS) meshless method: Error estimate and adaptive refinement

Meshless methods are new approaches for solving partial differential equations. The main characteristic of all these methods is that they do not require the traditional mesh to construct a numerical formulation. They require node generation instead of mesh generation. In other words, there is no pre‐specified connectivity or relationships among the nodes. This characteristic make these methods powerful. For example, an adaptive process which requires high computational effort in mesh‐dependent methods can be very economically solved with meshless methods. In this paper, a posteriori error estimate and adaptive refinement strategy is developed in conjunction with the collocated discrete least‐squares (CDLS) meshless method. For this, an error estimate is first developed for a CDLS meshless method. The proposed error estimator is shown to be naturally related to the least‐squares functional, providing a suitable posterior measure of the error in the solution. A mesh moving strategy is then used to displace the nodal points such that the errors are evenly distributed in the solution domain. Efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed error estimator and adaptive refinement process are tested against two hyperbolic benchmark problems, one with shocked and the other with low gradient smooth solutions. These experiments show that the proposed adaptive process is capable of producing stable and accurate results for the difficult problems considered. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An approach of dynamic mesh adaptation for simulating 3‐dimensional unsteady moving‐immersed‐boundary flows

In this paper, we present an approach of dynamic mesh adaptation for simulating complex 3‐dimensional incompressible moving‐boundary flows by immersed boundary methods. Tetrahedral meshes are adapted by a hierarchical refining/coarsening algorithm. Regular refinement is accomplished by dividing 1 tetrahedron into 8 subcells, and irregular refinement is only for eliminating the hanging points. Merging the 8 subcells obtained by regular refinement, the mesh is coarsened. With hierarchical refining/coarsening, mesh adaptivity can be achieved by adjusting the mesh only 1 time for each adaptation period. The level difference between 2 neighboring cells never exceeds 1, and the geometrical quality of mesh does not degrade as the level of adaptive mesh increases. A predictor‐corrector scheme is introduced to eliminate the phase lag between adapted mesh and unsteady solution. The error caused by each solution transferring from the old mesh to the new adapted one is small because most of the nodes on the 2 meshes are coincident. An immersed boundary method named local domain‐free discretization is employed to solve the flow equations. Several numerical experiments have been conducted for 3‐dimensional incompressible moving‐boundary flows. By using the present approach, the number of mesh nodes is reduced greatly while the accuracy of solution can be preserved.     

Efficient discretization of pressure‐correction equations on non‐orthogonal grids

An alternative discretization of pressure‐correction equations within pressure‐correction schemes for the solution of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations is introduced, which improves the convergence and robustness properties of such schemes for non‐orthogonal grids. As against standard approaches, where the non‐orthogonal terms usually are just neglected, the approach allows for a simplification of the pressure‐correction equation to correspond to 5‐point or 7‐point computational molecules in two or three dimensions, respectively, but still incorporates the effects of non‐orthogonality. As a result a wide range (including rather high values) of underrelaxation factors can be used, resulting in an increased overall performance of the underlying pressure‐correction schemes. Within this context, a second issue of the paper is the investigation of the accuracy to which the pressure‐correction equation should be solved in each pressure‐correction iteration. The scheme is investigated for standard test cases and, in order to show its applicability to practical flow problems, for a more complex configuration of a micro heat exchanger. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A dual‐weighted trust‐region adaptive POD 4D‐VAR applied to a finite‐element shallow‐water equations model

We consider a limited‐area finite‐element discretization of the shallow‐water equations model. Our purpose in this paper is to solve an inverse problem for the above model controlling its initial conditions in presence of observations being assimilated in a time interval (window of assimilation). We then attempt to obtain a reduced‐order model of the above inverse problem, based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), referred to as POD 4‐D VAR. Different approaches of POD implementation of the reduced inverse problem are compared, including a dual‐weighed method for snapshot selection coupled with a trust‐region POD approach. Numerical results obtained point to an improved accuracy in all metrics tested when dual‐weighing choice of snapshots is combined with POD adaptivity of the trust‐region type. Results of ad‐hoc adaptivity of the POD 4‐D VAR turn out to yield less accurate results than trust‐region POD when compared with high‐fidelity model. Directions of future research are finally outlined. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One‐dimensional finite element grids based on a localized truncation error analysis

With the exponential increase in computing power, modelers of coastal and oceanic regions are capable of simulating larger domains with increased resolution. Typically, these models use graded meshes wherein the size of the elements can vary by orders of magnitude. However, with notably few exceptions, the graded meshes are generated using criteria that neither optimize placement of the node points nor properly incorporate the physics, as represented by discrete equations, underlying tidal flow and circulation to the mesh generation process. Consequently, the user of the model must heuristically adjust such meshes based on knowledge of local flow and topographical features—a rough and time consuming proposition at best. Herein, a localized truncation error analysis (LTEA) is proposed as a means to efficiently generate meshes that incorporate estimates of flow variables and their derivatives. In a one‐dimensional (1D) setting, three different LTEA‐based finite element grid generation methodologies are examined and compared with two common algorithms: the wavelength to Δx ratio criterion and the topographical length scale criterion. Errors are compared on a per node basis. It is shown that solutions based on LTEA meshes are, in general, more accurate (both locally and globally) and more efficient. In addition, the study shows that the first four terms of the ordered truncation error series are in direct competition and, subsequently, that the leading order term of the truncation error series is not necessarily the dominant term. Analyses and results from this 1D study lay the groundwork for developing an efficient mesh generating algorithm suitable for two‐dimensional (2D) models. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiscale block spectral solution for unsteady flows

Many problems of interest are characterized by 2 distinctive and disparate scales and a huge multiplicity of similar small‐scale elements. The corresponding scale‐dependent solvability manifests itself in the high gradient flow around each element needing a fine mesh locally and the similar flow patterns among all elements globally. In a block spectral approach making use of the scale‐dependent solvability, the global domain is decomposed into a large number of similar small blocks. The mesh‐pointwise block spectra will establish the block‐block variation, for which only a small set of blocks need to be solved with a fine mesh resolution. The solution can then be very efficiently obtained by coupling the local fine mesh solution and the global coarse mesh solution through a block spectral mapping. Previously, the block spectral method has only been developed for steady flows. The present work extends the methodology to unsteady flows of short temporal and spatial scales (eg, those due to self‐excited unsteady vortices and turbulence disturbances). A source term–based approach is adopted to facilitate a two‐way coupling in terms of time‐averaged flow solutions. The global coarse base mesh solution provides an appropriate environment and boundary condition to the local fine mesh blocks, while the local fine mesh solution provides the source terms (propagated through the block spectral mapping) to the global coarse mesh domain. The computational method will be presented with several numerical examples and sensitivity studies. The results consistently demonstrate the validity and potential of the proposed approach.     

A two‐phase adaptive finite element method for solid–fluid coupling in complex geometries

In this paper we present a method to solve the Navier–Stokes equations in complex geometries, such as porous sands, using a finite‐element solver but without the complexity of meshing the porous space. The method is based on treating the solid boundaries as a second fluid and solving a set of equations similar to those used for multi‐fluid flow. When combined with anisotropic mesh adaptivity, it is possible to resolve complex geometries starting with an arbitrary coarse mesh. The approach is validated by comparing simulation results with available data in three test cases. In the first we simulate the flow past a cylinder. The second test case compares the pressure drop in flow through random packs of spheres with the Ergun equation. In the last case simulation results are compared with experimental data on the flow past a simplified vehicle model (Ahmed body) at high Reynolds number using large‐eddy simulation (LES). Results are in good agreement with all three reference models. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.