A swept intersection‐based remapping method for axisymmetric ReALE computation

We use here a reconnection ALE (ReALE) strategy to solve hydrodynamic compressible flows in cylindrical geometries. The main difference between the classical ALE and the ReALE method is the rezoning step where we allow change in the topology. This leads for ReALE to a polygonal mesh, which follows more efficiently the flow. We present here a new displacement of generators in order to keep the Lagrangian features, which are usually lost using ALE with fixed topology. The reconnection capability allows to deal with complex geometries and high‐vorticity problems contrary to ALE method. The main difficulty of ReALE is the remapping step where we have to remap physical variables on a mesh with a different topology. For this step, a new remapping method based on a swept intersection algorithm has been developed in the case of planar geometries. We present here the extension of the swept intersection‐based remapping method to cylindrical geometries. We demonstrate that our method can be applied to several numerical examples up to problem representative of hydrodynamic experiments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combined swept region and intersection‐based single‐material remapping method

A typical arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian algorithm consists of a Lagrangian step, where the computational mesh moves with the fluid flow; a rezoning step, where the computational mesh is smoothed and repaired in case it gets too distorted; and a remapping step, where all fluid quantities are conservatively interpolated on this new mesh. In single‐material simulations, the remapping process can be represented in a flux form, with fluxes approximated by integrating a reconstructed function over intersections of neighboring computational cells on the original and rezoned computational mesh. This algorithm is complex and computationally demanding – Therefore, a simpler approach that utilizes regions swept by the cell edges during rezoning is often used in practice. However, it has been observed that such simplification can lead to distortion of the solution symmetry, especially when the mesh movement is not bound by such symmetry. For this reason, we propose an algorithm combining both approaches in a similar way that was proposed for multi‐material remapping (two‐step hybrid remap). Intersections and exact integration are employed only in certain parts of the computational mesh, marked by a switching function – Various different criteria are presented in this paper. The swept‐based method is used elsewhere in areas that are not marked. This way, our algorithm can retain the beneficial symmetry‐preserving capabilities of intersection‐based remapping while keeping the overall computational cost moderate.     

A moving mesh BGK scheme for multi‐material flows

In this paper, a moving mesh BGK scheme (MMBGK) for multi‐material flow computations is proposed. The basic idea of constructing the MMBGK is to couple the Lagrangian method, which tracks material interfaces and keeps the interfaces sharp, with a remapping‐free ALE‐type kinetic method within each single material region, where the kinetic method is based on the BGK (Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook) model. Within each single material region, a numerical flux formulation is developed on moving meshes from motion of microscope particles, and the mesh velocity is determined by requiring both mesh adaptation for accuracy and robustness, such that the grids are moving towards to the regions with high flow gradients in a way of diffusive mechanism (velocity) to adjust the distances between neighboring cells, thus increasing the numerical accuracy. To keep the sharpness of material interfaces, the Lagrangian velocity and flux are constructed at the interfaces only. Consequently, a BGK‐scheme‐based ALE‐type method (i.e., the MMBGK scheme) for multi‐material flows is constructed. Numerical examples in one and two dimensions are presented to illustrate the accuracy and robustness of the MMBGK scheme. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A fully discrete ALE method over untwisted time–space control volumes

In this paper, a fully discrete high‐resolution arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method is developed over untwisted time–space control volumes. In the framework of the finite volume method, 2D Euler equations are discretized over untwisted moving control volumes, and the resulting numerical flux is computed using the generalized Riemann problem solver. Then, the fluid flows between meshes at two successive time steps can be updated without a remapping process in the classic ALE method. This remapping‐free ALE method directly couples the mesh motion into a physical variable update to reflect the temporal evolution in the whole process. An untwisted moving mesh is generated in terms of the vorticity‐free part of the fluid velocity according to the Helmholtz theorem. Some typical numerical tests show the competitive performance of the current method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High‐order ADER‐WENO ALE schemes on unstructured triangular meshes—application of several node solvers to hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics

In this paper, we present a class of high‐order accurate cell‐centered arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) one‐step ADER weighted essentially non‐oscillatory (WENO) finite volume schemes for the solution of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws on two‐dimensional unstructured triangular meshes. High order of accuracy in space is achieved by a WENO reconstruction algorithm, while a local space–time Galerkin predictor allows the schemes to be high order accurate also in time by using an element‐local weak formulation of the governing PDE on moving meshes. The mesh motion can be computed by choosing among three different node solvers, which are for the first time compared with each other in this article: the node velocity may be obtained either (i) as an arithmetic average among the states surrounding the node, as suggested by Cheng and Shu, or (ii) as a solution of multiple one‐dimensional half‐Riemann problems around a vertex, as suggested by Maire, or (iii) by solving approximately a multidimensional Riemann problem around each vertex of the mesh using the genuinely multidimensional Harten–Lax–van Leer Riemann solver recently proposed by Balsara et al. Once the vertex velocity and thus the new node location have been determined by the node solver, the local mesh motion is then constructed by straight edges connecting the vertex positions at the old time level tⁿ with the new ones at the next time level t^{n + 1}. If necessary, a rezoning step can be introduced here to overcome mesh tangling or highly deformed elements. The final ALE finite volume scheme is based directly on a space–time conservation formulation of the governing PDE system, which therefore makes an additional remapping stage unnecessary, as the ALE fluxes already properly take into account the rezoned geometry. In this sense, our scheme falls into the category of direct ALE methods. Furthermore, the geometric conservation law is satisfied by the scheme by construction. We apply the high‐order algorithm presented in this paper to the Euler equations of compressible gas dynamics as well as to the ideal classical and relativistic magnetohydrodynamic equations. We show numerical convergence results up to fifth order of accuracy in space and time together with some classical numerical test problems for each hyperbolic system under consideration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monotonicity in high‐order curvilinear finite element arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian remap

The remap phase in arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) hydrodynamics involves the transfer of field quantities defined on a post‐Lagrangian mesh to some new mesh, usually generated by a mesh optimization algorithm. This problem is often posed in terms of transporting (or advecting) some state variable from the old mesh to the new mesh over a fictitious time interval. It is imperative that this remap process be monotonic, that is, not generate any new extrema in the field variables. It is well known that the only linear methods that are guaranteed to be monotonic for such problems are first‐order accurate; however, much work has been performed in developing non‐linear methods, which blend both high and low (first) order solutions to achieve monotonicity and preserve high‐order accuracy when the field is sufficiently smooth. In this paper, we present a set of methods for enforcing monotonicity targeting high‐order discontinuous Galerkin methods for advection equations in the context of high‐order curvilinear ALE hydrodynamics. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Delayed mesh relaxation for multi-material ALE formulation

Multi-Material Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) finite element methods can solve large deformations in fast dynamic problems like explosions because the mesh motion can be independent of the material motion. However materials must flow between elements and this advection involves numerical dissipations. The rezoning mesh method presented in this paper was designed to reduce these numerical errors for shock wave propagation. The mesh moves to refine the elements near the shock front. This refinement limits the advection fluxes and so the numerical diffusion. This technique is applied to the numerical simulations of airblast problems for which a parameter controlling the mesh refinement is studied.     

High‐order time integrators for front‐tracking finite‐element analysis of viscous free‐surface flows

This paper proposes implicit Runge–Kutta (IRK) time integrators to improve the accuracy of a front‐tracking finite‐element method for viscous free‐surface flow predictions. In the front‐tracking approach, the modeling equations must be solved on a moving domain, which is usually performed using an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) frame of reference. One of the main difficulties associated with the ALE formulation is related to the accuracy of the time integration procedure. Indeed, most formulations reported in the literature are limited to second‐order accurate time integrators at best. In this paper, we present a finite‐element ALE formulation in which a consistent evaluation of the mesh velocity and its divergence guarantees satisfaction of the discrete geometrical conservation law. More importantly, it also ensures that the high‐order fixed mesh temporal accuracy of time integrators is preserved on deforming grids. It is combined with the use of a family of L‐stable IRK time integrators for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations to yield high‐order time‐accurate free‐surface simulations. This is demonstrated in the paper using the method of manufactured solution in space and time as recommended in Verification and Validation. In particular, we report up to fifth‐order accuracy in time. The proposed free‐surface front‐tracking approach is then validated against cases of practical interest such as sloshing in a tank, solitary waves propagation, and coupled interaction between a wave and a submerged cylinder. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation for free surface flows using the characteristic‐based split (CBS) scheme

An arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method for non‐breaking free surface flow problems is presented. The characteristic‐based split (CBS) scheme has been employed to solve the ALE equations. A simple mesh smoothing procedure based on coordinate averaging (Laplacian smoothing) is employed in the calculations. The mesh velocity is calculated at each time step and incorporated as part of the scheme. Results presented show an excellent agreement with the available experimental data. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一类格心型ALE有限体积格式方法

现在国内外流行的ALE有限体积格式基本上都基于交错网榕进行格式的离散.该类格武在进行重映时,速度、密度和能量需要分别进行重映计算,效率较低,而且由于速度在网格角点.而密度、能量在网格中心,重映时会出现动能和内能不协调现泉.本文在巳有格心型Lagrange有限体积格式研究的基础上,结合Abgrall R.等关于榕心型格式下的网格角点速度的计算方法,利用最小二乘法进行高阶插值多项式重构,构造了一类新的格心型的高精度Lagrangian有限体积格式,并结合有效的高精度ENO守恒重映方法,获得了一类格心型的高精度ALE有限体积格式.数值试验的结果说明本文的格式是有效的,高精度的,收敛的,并且避免了物理量的不协调现象.     

A 3D finite element ALE method using an approximate Riemann solution

Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian finite volume methods that solve a multidimensional Riemann‐like problem at the cell center in a staggered grid hydrodynamic (SGH) arrangement have been proposed. This research proposes a new 3D finite element arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian SGH method that incorporates a multidimensional Riemann‐like problem. Two different Riemann jump relations are investigated. A new limiting method that greatly improves the accuracy of the SGH method on isentropic flows is investigated. A remap method that improves upon a well‐known mesh relaxation and remapping technique in order to ensure total energy conservation during the remap is also presented. Numerical details and test problem results are presented. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of liquid sloshing in curved‐wall containers with arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method

There are many challenges in the numerical simulation of liquid sloshing in horizontal cylinders and spherical containers using the finite element method of arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) formulation: tracking the motion of the free surface with the contact points, defining the mesh velocity on the curved wall boundary and updating the computational mesh. In order to keep the contact points slipping along the curved side wall, the shape vector in each time advancement is defined to modify the kinematical boundary conditions on the free surface. A special function is introduced to automatically smooth the nodal velocities on the curved wall boundary based on the liquid nodal velocities. The elliptic partial differential equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions can directly rezone the inner nodal velocities in more than a single freedom. The incremental fractional step method is introduced to solve the finite element liquid equations. The numerical results that stemmed from the algorithm show good agreement with experimental phenomena, which demonstrates that the ALE method provides an efficient computing scheme in moving curved wall boundaries. This method can be extended to 3D cases by improving the technique to compute the shape vector. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficient high order direct ALE ADER finite volume scheme with a posteriori limiting for hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics

In this paper, we present a new family of direct arbitrary–Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) finite volume schemes for the solution of hyperbolic balance laws on unstructured meshes in multiple space dimensions. The scheme is designed to be high‐order accurate both in space and time, and the mesh motion, which provides the new mesh configuration at the next time step, is taken into account in the final finite volume scheme that is based directly on a space‐time conservation formulation of the governing PDE system. To improve the computational efficiency of the algorithm, high order of accuracy in space is achieved using the a posteriori MOOD limiting strategy that allows the reconstruction procedure to be carried out with only one reconstruction stencil for any order of accuracy. We rely on an element‐local space‐time Galerkin finite element predictor on moving curved meshes to obtain a high‐order accurate one‐step time discretization, while the mesh velocity is computed by means of a suitable nodal solver algorithm that might also be supplemented with a local rezoning procedure to improve the mesh quality. Next, the old mesh configuration at time level tⁿ is connected to the new one at t^n + 1 by straight edges, hence providing unstructured space‐time control volumes, on the boundary of which the numerical flux has to be integrated. Here, we adopt a quadrature‐free integration, in which the space‐time boundaries of the control volumes are split into simplex sub‐elements that yield constant space‐time normal vectors and Jacobian matrices. In this way, the integrals over the simplex sub‐elements can be evaluated once and for all analytically during a preprocessing step. We apply the new high‐order direct ALE algorithm to the Euler equations of compressible gas dynamics (also referred to as hydrodynamics equations) as well as to the magnetohydrodynamics equations and we solve a set of classical test problems in two and three space dimensions. Numerical convergence rates are provided up to fifth order of accuracy in 2D and 3D for both hyperbolic systems considered in this paper. Finally, the efficiency of the new method is measured and carefully compared against the original formulation of the algorithm that makes use of a WENO reconstruction technique and Gaussian quadrature formulae for the flux integration: depending on the test problem, the new class of very efficient direct ALE schemes proposed in this paper can run up to ≈12 times faster in the 3D case. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coupling methods between finite element–based Boussinesq‐type wave and particle‐based free‐surface flow models

We develop one‐way coupling methods between a Boussinesq‐type wave model based on the discontinuous Galerkin finite element method and a free‐surface flow model based on a mesh‐free particle method to strike a balance between accuracy and computational cost. In our proposed model, computation of the wave model in the global domain is conducted first, and the nonconstant velocity profiles in the vertical direction are reproduced by using its results. Computation of the free‐surface flow is performed in a local domain included within the global domain with interface boundaries that move along the reproduced velocity field in a Lagrangian fashion. To represent the moving interfaces, we used a polygon wall boundary model for mesh‐free particle methods. Verification and validation tests of our proposed model are performed, and results obtained by the model are compared with theoretical values and experimental results to show its accuracy and applicability.     

An ALE mesh movement scheme for long‐term in‐flight ice accretion

The rather irregular shapes that glaze ice may grow into while accreting over the surface of an aircraft represent a major difficulty in the numerical simulation of long periods of in‐flight icing. There is a constant need for remeshing: a wasteful procedure. In the framework of ALE formulations, a mesh movement scheme is presented, in which frame and elasticity analogies are loosely coupled. The resulting deformed mesh preserves the quality of elements, especially in the near‐wall region, where accurate prediction of heat flux and shear stresses is required. The proposed scheme handles mesh deformation in a computationally efficient manner by localizing the mesh deformation. The 2D problem of ice accretion over single and multi‐element airfoils is considered here as a numerical experiment. Experimentally measured glaze ice shapes were used to evaluate the performance of the present approach. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A POD reduced‐order 4D‐Var adaptive mesh ocean modelling approach

Inflow and outflow boundary conditions are essential for the application of computational fluid dynamics to many engineering scenarios. In this paper we present a new boundary condition implementation that enables the simulation of flow through permeable boundaries in the Lagrangian mesh‐free method, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). Each permeable boundary is associated with an inflow or outflow zone outside the domain, in which particles are created or removed as required. The analytic boundary condition is applied by prescribing the appropriate variables for particles in an inflow or outflow zone, and extrapolating other variables from within the domain. Characteristic‐based non‐reflecting boundary conditions, described in the literature for mesh‐based methods, can be implemented within this framework. Results are presented for simple one‐dimensional flows, quasi‐one‐dimensional compressible nozzle flow, and two‐dimensional flow around a cylinder at Reynolds numbers of 40 and 100 and a Mach number of 0.1. These results establish the capability of SPH to model flows through open domains, opening a broad new class of applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prediction of extrudate swell in polymer melt extrusion using an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) based finite element method

Accurate prediction of extrudate (die) swell in polymer melt extrusion is important as this helps in appropriate die design for profile extrusion applications. Extrudate swell prediction has shown significant difficulties due to two key reasons. The first is the appropriate representation of the constitutive behavior of the polymer melt. The second is regarding the simulation of the free surface, which requires special techniques in the traditionally used Eulerian framework. In this paper we propose a method for simulation of extrudate swell using an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique based finite element formulation. The ALE technique provides advantages of both Lagrangian and Eulerian frameworks by allowing the computational mesh to move in an arbitrary manner, independent of the material motion. In the present method, a fractional-step ALE technique is employed in which the Lagrangian phase of material motion and convection arising out of mesh motion are decoupled. In the first step, the relevant flow and constitutive equations are solved in Lagrangian framework. The simpler representation of polymer constitutive equations in a Lagrangian framework avoids the difficulties associated with convective terms thereby resulting in a robust numerical formulation besides allowing for natural evolution of the free surface with the flow. In the second step, mesh is moved in ALE mode and the associated convection of the variables due to relative motion of the mesh is performed using a Godunov type scheme. While the mesh is fixed in space in the die region, the nodal points of the mesh on the extrudate free surface are allowed to move normal to flow direction with special rules to facilitate the simulation of swell. A differential exponential Phan Thien Tanner (PTT) model is used to represent the constitutive behavior of the melt. Using this method we simulate extrudate swell in planar and axisymmetric extrusion with abrupt contraction ahead of the die exit. This geometry allows the extrudate to have significant memory for shorter die lengths and acts as a good test for swell predictions. We demonstrate that our predictions of extrudate swell match well with reported experimental and numerical simulations.     

A Voronoi‐based ALE solver for the calculation of incompressible flow on deforming unstructured meshes

An Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method for the calculation of incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in deforming geometries is described. The mesh node connectivity is defined by a Delaunay triangulation of the nodes, whereas the discretized equations are solved using finite volumes defined by the Voronoi dual of the triangulation. For prescribed boundary motion, an automatic node motion algorithm provides smooth motion of the interior nodes. Changes in the connectivity of the nodes are made through the use of local transformations to maintain the mesh as Delaunay. This allows the nodes and their associated Voronoi finite volumes to migrate through the domain in a free manner, without compromising the quality of the mesh. An MAC finite volume solver is applied on the Voronoi dual using a cell‐centred non‐staggered formulation, with cell‐face velocities being calculated by the Rhie–Chow momentum interpolation. Advective fluxes are approximated with the third‐order QUICK differencing scheme. The solver is demonstrated via its application to a driven cavity flow, and the flow about flapping aerofoil geometries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developing a unified FVE‐ALE approach to solve unsteady fluid flow with moving boundaries

In this study, an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) approach is incorporated with a mixed finite‐volume–element (FVE) method to establish a novel moving boundary method for simulating unsteady incompressible flow on non‐stationary meshes. The method collects the advantages of both finite‐volume and finite‐element (FE) methods as well as the ALE approach in a unified algorithm. In this regard, the convection terms are treated at the cell faces using a physical‐influence upwinding scheme, while the diffusion terms are treated using bilinear FE shape functions. On the other hand, the performance of ALE approach is improved by using the Laplace method to improve the hybrid grids, involving triangular and quadrilateral elements, either partially or entirely. The use of hybrid FE grids facilitates this achievement. To show the robustness of the unified algorithm, we examine both the first‐ and the second‐order temporal stencils. The accuracy and performance of the extended method are evaluated via simulating the unsteady flow fields around a fixed cylinder, a transversely oscillating cylinder, and in a channel with an indented wall. The numerical results presented demonstrate significant accuracy benefits for the new hybrid method on coarse meshes and where large time steps are taken. Of importance, the current method yields the second‐order temporal accuracy when the second‐order stencil is used to discretize the unsteady terms. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.