Numerical simulations for a seawater intrusion problem in a free aquifer

We simulate a sharp interface model issuing from a seawater intrusion problem in a free aquifer. We model the evolution of the sea front and of the upper free surface of the aquifer. We use a P1 finite element method for the space discretization combined with a semi-implicit in time scheme.     

A priori error analysis of the mortar finite element method for variational inequalities

The mortar finite element method is a special domain decomposition method, which can handle the situation where meshes on different subdomains need not align across the interface. In this article, we will apply the mortar element method to general variational inequalities of free boundary type, such as free seepage flow, which may show different behaviors in different regions. We prove that if the solution of the original variational inequality belongs to H²(D), then the mortar element solution can achieve the same order error estimate as the conforming P₁ finite element solution. Application of the mortar element method to a free surface seepage problem and an obstacle problem verifies not only its convergence property but also its great computational efficiency. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2008     

A numerical study of singular stress field of 3D cracks

We investigate the stress distribution and the variation of the mode I stress intensity factor along a straight three-dimensional (3D) crack by the finite element method. The results are checked against plane strain theory near the mid-crack and against the 3D theory of Zhu at the free surface. Although Zhu's formulation is not perfect and has some typographical errors. The surface stress distribution of his results are in line with the present study by the finite element method. The stress intensity factors at the free surface are found to be much lower than that at the mid-crack.     

On the self-intersections of curves deep in the lower central series of a surface group

We give various estimates of the minimal number of self-intersections of a nontrivial element of the kth term of the lower central series and derived series of the fundamental group of a surface. As an application, we obtain a new topological proof of the fact that free groups and fundamental groups of closed surfaces are residually nilpotent. Along the way, we prove that a nontrivial element of the kth term of the lower central series of a nonabelian free group has to have word length at least k in a free generating set.     

A finite element solution of an added mass formulation for coupled fluid-solid vibrations

Summary. A finite element method to approximate the vibration modes of a structure in contact with an incompressible fluid is analyzed in this paper. The effect of the fluid is taken into account by means of an added mass formulation, which is one of the most usual procedures in engineering practice. Gravity waves on the free surface of the liquid are also considered in the model. Piecewise linear continuous elements are used to discretize the solid displacements, the variables to compute the added mass terms and the vertical displacement of the free surface, yielding a non conforming method for the spectral coupled problem. Error estimates are settled for approximate eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies. Implementation issues are discussed and numerical experiments are reported. In particular the method is compared with other numerical scheme, based on a pure displacement formulation, which has been recently analyzed. Received August 31, 1998 / Published online July 12, 2000     

The decomposition of 3-dimensional Poincaré complexes

We show that if the fundamental group of an orientable PD ³-complex has infinitely many ends then it is either a proper free product or virtually free of finite rank. It follows that every PD ³-complex is finitely covered by one which is homotopy equivalent to a connected sum of aspherical PD ³-complexes and copies of . Furthermore, it is shown that any torsion element of the fundamental group of an orientable PD ³-complex has finite centraliser. Received: February 2, 1998     

Compressions of free products of von Neumann algebras

A reduction formula for compressions of von Neumann algebra II–factors arising as free products is proved. This shows that the fundamental group is for some such algebras. Additionally, by taking a sort of free product with an unbounded semicircular element, continuous one parameter groups of trace scaling automorphisms on II–factors are constructed; this produces type III factors with core , where can be a full II–factor without the Haagerup approximation property. Received: 26 October 1998 / in final form 18 March 1999     

An additive Schwarz preconditioner for p-version boundary element approximation of the hypersingular operator in three dimensions

Summary. Additive Schwarz preconditioners are developed for the p-version of the boundary element method for the hypersingular integral equation on surfaces in three dimensions. The principal preconditioner consists of decomposing the subspace into local spaces associated with the element interiors supplemented with a wirebasket space associated with the the element interfaces. The wirebasket correction involves inverting a diagonal matrix. If exact solvers are used on the element interiors then theoretical analysis shows that growth of the condition number of the preconditioned system is bounded by for an open surface and for a closed surface. A modified form of the preconditioner only requires the inversion of a diagonal matrix but results in a further degradation of the condition number by a factor . Received December 15, 1998 / Revised version received March 26, 1999 / Published online March 16, 2000     

Multilevel methods for mixed finite elements in three dimensions

In this paper we consider second order scalar elliptic boundary value problems posed over three–dimensional domains and their discretization by means of mixed Raviart–Thomas finite elements [18]. This leads to saddle point problems featuring a discrete flux vector field as additional unknown. Following Ewing and Wang [26], the proposed solution procedure is based on splitting the flux into divergence free components and a remainder. It leads to a variational problem involving solenoidal Raviart–Thomas vector fields. A fast iterative solution method for this problem is presented. It exploits the representation of divergence free vector fields as s of the –conforming finite element functions introduced by Nédélec [43]. We show that a nodal multilevel splitting of these finite element spaces gives rise to an optimal preconditioner for the solenoidal variational problem: Duality techniques in quotient spaces and modern algebraic multigrid theory [50, 10, 31] are the main tools for the proof. Received November 4, 1996 / Revised version received February 2, 1998     

Error analysis of a weighted least-squares finite element method for 2-D incompressible flows in velocity–stress–pressure formulation

In this paper we are concerned with a weighted least-squares finite element method for approximating the solution of boundary value problems for 2-D viscous incompressible flows. We consider the generalized Stokes equations with velocity boundary conditions. Introducing the auxiliary variables (stresses) of the velocity gradients and combining the divergence free condition with some compatibility conditions, we can recast the original second-order problem as a Petrovski-type first-order elliptic system (called velocity–stress–pressure formulation) in six equations and six unknowns together with Riemann–Hilbert-type boundary conditions. A weighted least-squares finite element method is proposed for solving this extended first-order problem. The finite element approximations are defined to be the minimizers of a weighted least-squares functional over the finite element subspaces of the H¹ product space. With many advantageous features, the analysis also shows that, under suitable assumptions, the method achieves optimal order of convergence both in the L²-norm and in the H¹-norm. © 1998 B. G. Teubner Stuttgart—John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the equivariant Morse complex of the free loop space of a surface

We prove two theorems about the equivariant topology of the free loop space of a surface. The first deals with the nondegenerate case and says that the ``ordinary' Morse complex can be given an -action in such a way that it carries the -homotopy type of the free loop space. The second says that, in terms of topology, the iterates of an isolated degenerate closed geodesic ``look like' the continuous limit of the iterates of a finite, fixed number of nondegenerate closed geodesics.

     

Volume preserving flows with cyclic winding numbers groups and without periodic orbits on 3-manifolds

We construct examples of volume preserving non-singular C ¹ vector fields on closed orientable 3-manifolds, which have cyclic winding numbers groups with respect to the preserved volume element, but have no periodic orbits. Received: 17 January 1998 / Revised version: 31 March 1998     

Linear systems on singular curves

We start this work by studying free linear systems on singular curves and related base point free linear systems on the non-singular model. We apply these results to the study of pencils of small degree on non-singular curves. We also prove a “base point free pencil trick” which holds for any (possibly) singular curve. Received: 15 June 1998     

Primitive Elements and Automorphisms of Free Algebras of Schreier Varieties

In this article, we review results on primitive elements of free algebras of main types of Schreier varieties of algebras. A variety of linear algebras over a field is Schreier if any subalgebra of a free algebra of this variety is free in the same variety of algebras. A system of elements of a free algebra is primitive if it is a subset of some set of free generators of this algebra. We consider free nonassociative algebras, free commutative and anti-commutative nonassociative algebras, free Lie algebras and superalgebras, and free Lie p-algebras and p-superalgebras. We present matrix criteria for systems of elements of elements. Primitive elements distinguish automorphisms: endomorphisms sending primitive elements to primitive elements are automorphisms. We give a series of examples of almost primitive elements (an element of a free algebra is almost primitive if it is not a primitive element of the whole algebra, but it is a primitive element of any proper subalgebra which contains it). We also consider generic elements and Δ-primitive elements. Translated from Itogi Nauki i Tekhniki, Seriya Sovremennaya Matematika i Ee Prilozheniya. Tematicheskie Obzory. Vol. 74, Algebra-15, 2000.     

Upper and lower error bounds for plate-bending finite elements

Summary. We compare the robustness of three different low-order mixed methods that have been proposed for plate-bending problems: the so-called MITC, Arnold-Falk and Arnold-Brezzi elements. We show that for free plates, the asymptotic rate of convergence in the presence of quasiuniform meshes approaches the optimal O(h) for MITC elements as the thickness approaches 0, but only approaches for the latter two. We accomplish this by establishing lower bounds for the error in the rotation. The deterioration occurs due to a consistency error associated with the boundary layer – we show how a modification of the elements at the boundary can fix the problem. Finally, we show that the Arnold-Brezzi element requires extra regularity for the convergence of the limiting (discrete Kirchhoff) case, and show that it fails to converge in the presence of point loads. Received June 9, 1998 / Published online December 6, 1999     

Finite differences on triangular grids

We define a finite differences method for triangular grids and we show how to link it to a finite element method. From this new point of view we then analyze properties of the solution and convergence. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 14: 567–579, 1998     

Free point processes and free extreme values

We continue here the study of free extreme values begun in Ben Arous and Voiculescu (Ann Probab 34:2037–2059, 2006). We study the convergence of the free point processes associated with free extreme values to a free Poisson random measure (Voiculescu in Lecture notes in mathematics. Springer, Heidelberg, pp. 279–349, 1998; Barndorff-Nielsen and Thorbjornsen in Probab Theory Relat Fields 131:197–228, 2005). We relate this convergence to the free extremal laws introduced in Ben Arous and Voiculescu (Ann Probab 34:2037–2059, 2006) and give the limit laws for free order statistics.     

Analyticity of a free boundary in one problem of axisymmetric flow

We prove the solvability of a boundary-value problem in the case where the Bernoulli condition is given on a free boundary in the form of an inequality. We establish the analyticity of the free boundary. Translated from Ukrainskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 50, No. 12, pp. 1692–1700, December, 1998.     

An improved error bound for a finite element approximation of a model for phase separation of a multi-component alloy with a concentration dependent mobility matrix

Summary. Using a slightly different discretization scheme in time and adapting the approach in Nochetto et al. (1998) for analysing the time discretization error in the backward Euler method, we improve on the error bounds derived in (i) Barrett and Blowley (1998) and (ii) Barrett and Blowey (1999c) for a fully practical piecewise linear finite element approximation of a model for phase separation of a multi-component alloy with a concentration dependent mobility matrix and (i) a logarithmic free energy, and (ii) a non-smooth free energy (the deep quench limit); respectively. Moreover, the improved error bound in the deep quench limit is optimal. Numerical experiments with three components illustrating the above error bounds are also presented. Received June 28, 1999 / Revised version received December 3, 1999 / Published online November 8, 2000     

Gauss point mass lumping schemes for Maxwell's equations

Finite element and finite difference methods for approximating the Maxwell system propagate numerical waves with slightly incorrect velocities, and this results in phase error in the computed solution. Indeed this error limits the type of problem that can be solved, because phase error accumulates during the computation and eventually destroys the solution. Here we propose a family of mass-lumped finite element schemes using edge elements. We emphasize in particular linear elements that are equivalent to the standard Yee FDTD scheme, and cubic elements that have superior phase accuracy. We prove theorems that allow us to perform a dispersion analysis of the two common families of edge elements on rectilinear grids. A result of this analysis is to provide some justification for the choice of the particular family we use. We also provide a limited selection of numerical results that show the efficiency of our scheme. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 14: 63–88, 1998