Three-dimensional fracture analysis using tetrahedral enriched elements and fully unstructured mesh

In the absence of automated and customized methods and tools, some of today’s existing methods for solving three-dimensional fracture problems require comprehensive finite element meshing, labor-intensive analysis and post-processing efforts. In this study, a tetrahedral enriched element method and related applications are presented that demonstrate employment of fully unstructured tetrahedral meshes for general mixed-mode three-dimensional fracture problems. As in the case of hexahedral enriched elements, the tetrahedral enriched elements also alleviate the needs of pre- and post-processing the finite element model, allowing direct computation of stress intensity factors in the solution phase. In addition, when tetrahedral enriched elements are used, the crack front region can also be meshed using unstructured elements allowing direct use of automatic free-meshing programs. The applications presented are plane-strain central crack problem, mode-I surface crack in a plate, inclined penny-shaped crack, edge-cracked bar under constant heat flux and lens-shaped crack embedded in a large elastic body. The results obtained are in good comparative agreement with those available in the literature. Thus, it is concluded that the enriched tetrahedral elements can be applied efficiently and accurately on a general three-dimensional fracture problem allowing usage of fully unstructured finite element meshes.     

On the Computation of Compressible Turbulent Flows on Unstructured Grids

An accurate, fast, matrix-free implicit method has been developed to solve compressible turbulent How problems using the Spalart and Allmaras one equation turbulence model on unstructured meshes. The mean-flow and turbulence-model equations are decoupled in the time integration in order to facilitate the incorporation of different turbulence models and reduce memory requirements. Both mean flow and turbulent equations are integrated in time using a linearized implicit scheme. A recently developed, fast, matrix-free implicit method, GMRES+LU-SGS, is then applied to solve the resultant system of linear equations. The spatial discretization is carried out using a hybrid finite volume and finite element method, where the finite volume approximation based on a containment dual control volume rather than the more popular median-dual control volume is used to discretize the inviscid fluxes, and the finite element approximation is used to evaluate the viscous flux terms. The developed method is used to compute a variety of turbulent flow problems in both 2D and 3D. The results obtained are in good agreement with theoretical and experimental data and indicate that the present method provides an accurate, fast, and robust algorithm for computing compressible turbulent flows on unstructured meshes.     

Turbulent flow calculations using unstructured and adaptive meshes

A method of efficiently computing turbulent compressible flow over complex two-dimensional configurations is presented. The method makes use of fully unstructured meshes throughout the entire flow field, thus enabling the treatment of arbitrarily complex geometries and the use of adaptive meshing techniques throughout both viscous and inviscid regions of the flow field. Mesh generation is based on a locally mapped Delaunay technique in order to generate unstructured meshes with highly stretched elements in the viscous regions. The flow equations are discretized using a finite element Navier-Stokes solver, and rapid convergence to steady state is achieved using an unstructured multigrid algorithm. Turbulence modelling is performed using an inexpensive algebraic model, implemented for use on unstructured and adaptive meshes. Compressible turbulent flow solutions about multiple-element aerofoil geometries are computed and compared with experimental data.     

Simplex space-time meshes in compressible flow simulations

Employing simplex space-time meshes enlarges the scope of compressible flow simulations. The simultaneous discretization of space and time with simplex elements extends the flexibility of unstructured meshes from space to time. In this work, we adapt a finite element formulation for compressible flows to simplex space-time meshes. The method obtained allows, for example, flow simulation on spatial domains that change topology with time. We demonstrate this with the two-dimensional simulation of compressible flow in a valve that fully closes and opens again. Furthermore, simplex space-time meshes facilitate local temporal refinement. A three-dimensional transient simulation of blow-by past piston rings is run in parallel on 120 cores. The timings point out savings of computation time gained from local temporal refinement in four-dimensional space-time meshes.     

三维非结构聚合多重网格法数值模拟研究

在三维非结构网格上应用聚合式多重网格技术来加速Euler方程的收敛过程．自行设计了一种高效率的网格聚合方法．采用四重三维非结构网格，在每一层网格上采用有限体积法进行计算．通过对M6翼型的数值求解验证了多重网格加速收敛的高效性．     

An h-adaptive solution of the spherical blast wave problem

Shock waves and contact discontinuities usually appear in compressible flows, requiring a fine mesh in order to achieve an acceptable accuracy of the numerical solution. The usage of a mesh adaptation strategy is convenient as uniform refinement of the whole mesh becomes prohibitive in three-dimensional (3D) problems. An unsteady h-adaptive strategy for unstructured finite element meshes is introduced. Non-conformity of the refined mesh and a bounded decrease in the geometrical quality of the elements are some features of the refinement algorithm. A 3D extension of the well-known refinement constraint for 2D meshes is used to enforce a smooth size transition among neighbour elements with different levels of refinement. A density-based gradient indicator is used to track discontinuities. The solution procedure is partially parallelised, i.e. the inviscid flow equations are solved in parallel with a finite element SUPG formulation with shock capturing terms while the adaptation of the mesh is sequentially performed. Results are presented for a spherical blast wave driven by a point-like explosion with an initial pressure jump of 10⁵ atmospheres. The adapted solution is compared to that computed on a fixed mesh. Also, the results provided by the theory of self-similar solutions are considered for the analysis. In this particular problem, adapting the mesh to the solution accounts for approximately 4% of the total simulation time and the refinement algorithm scales almost linearly with the size of the problem.     

Three-dimensional adaptive finite element computations and applications to non-Newtonian fluids

An adaptive strategy for the finite element solution of three-dimensional viscous flow problems is defined and implemented. The solution strategy is based on an advancing front mesh generator making use of binary data structures for fast geometrical data handling. The error is estimated a posteriori with a residual-type bound. The error estimate is shown to exhibit proper convergence for tetrahedral elements. Its combination with the mesh generator and an interpolation scheme for unstructured meshes is shown to generate adaptive meshes and to reduce the solution cost for a given error level, as illustrated by the isothermal flow of a shear-thinning fluid.     

双曲型守恒律的高阶、高分辨有限体积法

有限体积法是一种离散积分形式守恒律的数值方法。它可以吸收有限元法和有限差分法的一些重要思想与技巧。由于它可方便地利用多种类型的网格(结构网格和非结构网格),从而非常适用于处理复杂计算区域,目前已成为一种在计算流体力学中十分重要的方法。本文将针对二维双曲守衡律,对高精度、高分辨的有限体积法及其近年来的进展做一简要介绍。      

A cost‐effective curvature calculation approach for interfacial flows on unstructured meshes

We present a simple and cost‐effective curvature calculation approach for simulations of interfacial flows on structured and unstructured grids. The interface is defined using volume fractions, and the interface curvature is obtained as a function of the gradients of volume fractions. The gradient computation is based on a recently proposed gradient recovery method that mimicks the least squares approach without the need to solve a system of equations and is quite easy to implement on arbitrary polygonal meshes. The resulting interface curvature is used in a continuum surface force formulation within the framework of a well‐balanced finite‐volume algorithm to simulate multiphase flows dominated by surface tension. We show that the proposed curvature calculation is at least as accurate as some of the existing approaches on unstructured meshes while being straightforward to implement on any mesh topology. Numerical investigations also show that spurious currents in stationary problems that are dependent on the curvature calculation methodology are also acceptably low using the proposed approach. Studies on capillary waves and rising bubbles in viscous flows lend credence to the ability of the proposed method as an inexpensive, robust, and reasonably accurate approach for curvature calculation and numerical simulation of multiphase flows.     

Impact of truncation error and numerical scheme on the simulation of the early time growth of viscous fingering

The truncation error associated with different numerical schemes (first order finite volume, second order finite difference, control volume finite element) and meshes (fixed Cartesian, fixed structured triangular, fixed unstructured triangular and dynamically adapting unstructured triangular) is quantified in terms of apparent longitudinal and transverse diffusivity in tracer displacements and in terms of the early time growth rate of immiscible viscous fingers. The change in apparent numerical longitudinal diffusivity with element size agrees well with the predictions of Taylor series analysis of truncation error but the apparent, numerical transverse diffusivity is much lower than the longitudinal diffusivity in all cases. Truncation error reduces the growth rate of immiscible viscous fingers for wavenumbers greater than 1 in all cases but does not affect the growth rate of higher wavenumber fingers as much as would be seen if capillary pressure were present. The dynamically adapting mesh in the control volume finite element model gave similar levels of truncation error to much more computationally intensive fine resolution fixed meshes, confirming that these approaches have the potential to significantly reduce the computational effort required to model viscous fingering.     

Improving the robustness of the control volume finite element method with application to multiphase porous media flow

Control volume finite element methods (CVFEMs) have been proposed to simulate flow in heterogeneous porous media because they are better able to capture complex geometries using unstructured meshes. However, producing good quality meshes in such models is nontrivial and may sometimes be impossible, especially when all or parts of the domains have very large aspect ratio. A novel CVFEM is proposed here that uses a control volume representation for pressure and yields significant improvements in the quality of the pressure matrix. The method is initially evaluated and then applied to a series of test cases using unstructured (triangular/tetrahedral) meshes, and numerical results are in good agreement with semianalytically obtained solutions. The convergence of the pressure matrix is then studied using complex, heterogeneous example problems. The results demonstrate that the new formulation yields a pressure matrix than can be solved efficiently even on highly distorted, tetrahedral meshes in models of heterogeneous porous media with large permeability contrasts. The new approach allows effective application of CVFEM in such models.     

基于非结构网格的TTGC有限元格式的实现及在超声速流动中的应用

基于非结构网格系统,实现了时空三阶精度的TTGC有限元格式,并在三阶TTGC格式上发展了基于人工粘性的激波捕捉技术。在非结构网格下,采用这种方法对若干典型的超声速流动问题(SOD激波管、马赫数为3的前台阶流动以及马赫数为8的高超声速圆柱流动)进行了验证计算。结果表明,TTGC格式分辨率高,在粗糙网格下能够准确的模拟超声速流场中的激波、接触间断等复杂流动现象,并且能有效的控制间断附近的数值色散现象。与传统的有限体积方法相比,本文实现的TTGC有限元格式在模拟超声速流动问题方面具有格式精度高、数值耗散小等优点。     

Finite element flux-corrected transport (FEM–FCT) for the euler and Navier–Stokes equations

A high resolution finite element method for the solution of problems involving high speed compressible flows is presented. The method uses the concepts of flux-corrected transport and is presented in a form which is suitable for implementation on completely unstructured triangular or tetrahedral meshes. Transient and steady-state examples are solved to illustrate the performance of the algorithm.     

Finite element computations of viscoelastic two-phase flows using local projection stabilization

A three-field local projection stabilized (LPS) finite element method is developed for computations of a three-dimensional axisymmetric buoyancy driven liquid drop rising in a liquid column where one of the liquid is viscoelastic. The two-phase flow is described by the time-dependent incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, whereas the viscoelasticity is modeled by the Giesekus constitutive equation in a time-dependent domain. The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation with finite elements is used to solve the governing equations in the time-dependent domain. Interface-resolved moving meshes in ALE allows to incorporate the interfacial tension force and jumps in the material parameters accurately. A one-level LPS based on an enriched approximation space and a discontinuous projection space is used to stabilize the numerical scheme. A comprehensive numerical investigation is performed for a Newtonian drop rising in a viscoelastic fluid column and a viscoelastic drop rising in a Newtonian fluid column. The influence of the viscosity ratio, Newtonian solvent ratio, Giesekus mobility factor, and the Eötvös number on the drop dynamics are analyzed. The numerical study shows that beyond a critical Capillary number, a Newtonian drop rising in a viscoelastic fluid column experiences an extended trailing edge with a cusp-like shape and also exhibits a negative wake phenomena. However, a viscoelastic drop rising in a Newtonian fluid column develops an indentation around the rear stagnation point with a dimpled shape.     

非定常激波三维双楔面反射的数值研究

采用基于MUSCL-Hancock插值的有限体积方法, 在非结构自适应网格上求解三维Euler方程, 研究了非定常激波在三维垂直双楔面上的反射现象. 研究结果表明, 由于三维效应的影响, 通过二维非定常激波反射理论预测的三维马赫反射区域范围存在着一定的局限, 在该区域范围内出现了一种非典型的三维突起结构, 即第二类三维马赫干. 另外, 对于不同的激波马赫数和楔面倾角组合, 非定常激波在三维双楔面上会形成具有四波结构的三维马赫反射或具有三波结构的三维规则反射.      

Compressive advection and multi‐component methods for interface‐capturing

This paper develops methods for interface‐capturing in multiphase flows. The main novelties of these methods are as follows: (a) multi‐component modelling that embeds interface structures into the continuity equation; (b) a new family of triangle/tetrahedron finite elements, in particular, the P₁DG‐P₂(linear discontinuous between elements velocity and quadratic continuous pressure); (c) an interface‐capturing scheme based on compressive control volume advection methods and high‐order finite element interpolation methods; (d) a time stepping method that allows use of relatively large time step sizes; and (e) application of anisotropic mesh adaptivity to focus the numerical resolution around the interfaces and other areas of important dynamics. This modelling approach is applied to a series of pure advection problems with interfaces as well as to the simulation of the standard computational fluid dynamics benchmark test cases of a collapsing water column under gravitational forces (in two and three dimensions) and sloshing water in a tank. Two more test cases are undertaken in order to demonstrate the many‐material and compressibility modelling capabilities of the approach. Numerical simulations are performed on coarse unstructured meshes to demonstrate the potential of the methods described here to capture complex dynamics in multiphase flows. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A control volume finite element method for three-dimensional NAPL groundwater contamination

A three-dimensional control volume finite element method is developed for NAPL groundwater contamination problems. Tetrahedral elements are formed by decomposing deformed blocks. The decomposition is carried out in such a way as to minimize the size of the negative transmissibilities. Negative transmissibilities produce non-physical discrete fluid flow paths and can cause oscillatory behaviour in the Newton iteration. Example results are presented for a three-dimensional NAPL contamination scenario using typical geophysical data.     

Hybrid finite element/volume method for 3D incompressible flows with heat transfer

An implicit hybrid finite element (FE)/volume solver has been extended to incompressible flows coupled with the energy equation. The solver is based on the segregated pressure correction or projection method on staggered unstructured hybrid meshes. An intermediate velocity field is first obtained by solving the momentum equations with the matrix-free implicit cell-centred finite volume (FV) method. The pressure Poisson equation is solved by the node-based Galerkin FE method for an auxiliary variable. The auxiliary variable is used to update the velocity field and the pressure field. The pressure field is carefully updated by taking into account the velocity divergence field. Our current staggered-mesh scheme is distinct from other conventional ones in that we store the velocity components at cell centres and the auxiliary variable at vertices. The Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) matrix-free strategy is adapted to solve the governing equations in both FE and FV methods. The presented 2D and 3D numerical examples show the robustness and accuracy of the numerical method.     

Flexible Unstructured Gridding for 2D Reservoir Coarse Scale Modeling using Fine Scale Permeability Filtering

Accurate up-scaling is an essential part of creating a valid reservoir coarse scale dynamic model. In this article, unstructured discretization of spatial domain is accompanied by numerical permeability up-scaling in order to construct an accurate coarse scale model. A new technique for generating a course scale triangular mesh is presented in which the density of elements in key flow regions is kept high to capture accuracy. The fine scale permeability map is investigated using image processing techniques, especially steerable filters, and the results are converted into a high-resolution element size map. This element size map will be refined by the integration of other important factors such as well-position effects and used to construct a coarse triangular mesh. The combination of flux-continuous pressure approximation and mass conservative, total variation diminishing finite volume schemes have been considered to solve two phase flow equations on the control volume finite element mesh. Fine scale simulations results are compared with the coarse scale ones for a series of water flooding examples to investigate the efficiency and accuracy of the presented gridding methodology. This method is developed for 2D cases, but can be easily extended to 3D problems.     

A Hybrid Domain Decomposition and Multigrid Method for the Acceleration of Compressible Viscous Flow Calculations on Unstructured Triangular Meshes

This paper is concerned with the formulation and the evaluation of a hybrid solution method that makes use of domain decomposition and multigrid principles for the calculation of two-dimensional compressible viscous flows on unstructured triangular meshes. More precisely, a non-overlapping additive domain decomposition method is used to coordinate concurrent subdomain solutions with a multigrid method. This hybrid method is developed in the context of a flow solver for the Navier-Stokes equations which is based on a combined finite element/finite volume formulation on unstructured triangular meshes. Time integration of the resulting semi-discrete equations is performed using a linearized backward Euler implicit scheme. As a result, each pseudo time step requires the solution of a sparse linear system. In this study, a non-overlapping domain decomposition algorithm is used for advancing the solution at each implicit time step. Algebraically, the Schwarz algorithm is equivalent to a Jacobi iteration on a linear system whose matrix has a block structure. A substructuring technique can be applied to this matrix in order to obtain a fully implicit scheme in terms of interface unknowns. In the present approach, the interface unknowns are numerical fluxes. The interface system is solved by means of a full GMRES method. Here, the local system solves that are induced by matrix-vector products with the interface operator, are performed using a multigrid by volume agglomeration method. The resulting hybrid domain decomposition and multigrid solver is applied to the computation of several steady flows around a geometry of NACA0012 airfoil.