On a finite element method for unsteady compressible viscous flows

In this article we present an analysis of a finite element method for solving two‐dimensional unsteady compressible Navier‐Stokes equations. Under the time‐stepping size restriction Δt ≤ Ch, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the numerical solution and obtain an a prior error estimate uniform in time. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 19: 152–166, 2003     

On a finite element method for three‐dimensional unsteady compressible viscous flows

In this article we analyze a finite element method for three‐dimensional unsteady compressible Navier‐Stokes equations. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the numerical solution, and obtain a priori error estimates uniform in time. Numerical computations are carried out to test the orders of accuracy in the error estimates. Blend function interpolations are applied in the calculation of numerical integrations. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 20: 432–449, 2004.     

Streamline diffusion finite element method for stationary incompressible magnetohydrodynamics

In this article, a streamline diffusion finite element method is proposed and analyzed for stationary incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations. This method is stable for any combinations of velocity, pressure, and magnet finite element spaces, without requiring Ladyzenskaja‐Babu?ka‐Brezzi (LBB) condition. The well‐posedness and convergence (at optimal error rate) of this scheme are proved in terms of some conditions. Two numerical experiments are illustrated to validate our theoretical analysis and show the streamline diffusion finite element approach is effective for solving the MHD problems. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 30: 1877–1901, 2014     

Parameter-free H(div) preconditioning for a mixed finite element formulation of diffusion problems

^** Email: c.powell{at}manchester.ac.uk Mixed finite element formulations of generalised diffusion problemsyield linear systems with ill-conditioned, symmetric and indefinitecoefficient matrices. Preconditioners with optimal work complexitythat do not rely on artificial parameters are essential. Weimplement lowest order Raviart–Thomas elements and analysepractical issues associated with so-called ‘H(div) preconditioning’.Properties of the exact scheme are discussed in Powell &Silvester (2003, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl., 25, 718–738).We extend the discussion, here, to practical implementation,the components of which are any available multilevel solverfor a weighted H(div) operator and a pressure mass matrix. Anew bound is established for the eigenvalue spectrum of thepreconditioned system matrix and extensive numerical resultsare presented.     

A mixed finite element method for a quasi‐Newtonian fluid flow

We propose a mixed formulation for quasi‐Newtonian fluid flow obeying the power law where the stress tensor is introduced as a new variable. Based on such a formulation, a mixed finite element is constructed and analyzed. This finite element method possesses local (i.e., at element level) conservation properties (conservation of the momentum and the mass) as in the finite volume methods. We give existence and uniqueness results for the continuous problem and its approximation and we prove error bounds. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2004.     

An adaptive edge element method and its convergence for a Saddle‐Point problem from magnetostatics

Reliable and efficient a posteriori error estimates are derived for the edge element discretization of a saddle‐point Maxwell's system. By means of the error estimates, an adaptive edge element method is proposed and its convergence is rigorously demonstrated. The algorithm uses a marking strategy based only on the error indicators, without the commonly used information on local oscillations and the refinement to meet the standard interior node property. Some new ingredients in the analysis include a novel quasi‐orthogonality and a new inf‐sup inequality associated with an appropriately chosen norm. It is shown that the algorithm is a contraction for the sum of the energy error plus the error indicators after each refinement step. Numerical experiments are presented to show the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed adaptive algorithm. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2012     

Error estimates of H^1-Galerkin mixed finite element method for Schrodinger equation

An H1-Galerkin mixed finite element method is discussed for a class of second order SchrSdinger equation. Optimal error estimates of semidiscrete schemes are derived for problems in one space dimension. At the same time, optimal error estimates are derived for fully discrete schemes. And it is showed that the H1-Galerkin mixed finite element approximations have the same rate of convergence as in the classical mixed finite element methods without requiring the LBB consistency condition.     

On the mixed finite element method with Lagrange multipliers

In this note we analyze a modified mixed finite element method for second‐order elliptic equations in divergence form. As a model we consider the Poisson problem with mixed boundary conditions in a polygonal domain of R ². The Neumann (essential) condition is imposed here in a weak sense, which yields the introduction of a Lagrange multiplier given by the trace of the solution on the corresponding boundary. This approach allows to handle nonhomogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, theoretically and computationally, in an alternative and usually easier way. Then we utilize the classical Babu?ka‐Brezzi theory to show that the resulting mixed variational formulation is well posed. In addition, we use Raviart‐Thomas spaces to define the associated finite element method and, applying some elliptic regularity results, we prove the stability, unique solvability, and convergence of this discrete scheme, under appropriate assumptions on the mesh sizes. Finally, we provide numerical results illustrating the performance of the algorithm for smooth and singular problems. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 19: 192–210, 2003     

A posteriori error estimates for the mixed finite element method with Lagrange multipliers

We consider the mixed finite element method with Lagrange multipliers as applied to second‐order elliptic equations in divergence form with mixed boundary conditions. The corresponding Galerkin scheme is defined by using Raviart‐Thomas spaces. We develop a posteriori error analyses yielding a reliable and efficient estimate based on residuals, and a reliable and quasi‐efficient estimate based on local problems, respectively. Several numerical results illustrate the suitability of these a posteriori estimates for the adaptive computation of the discrete solutions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2005     

A priori error estimates for a coupled finite element method and mixed finite element method for a fluid-solid interaction problem

This paper presents a heterogeneous finite element method fora fluid–solid interaction problem. The method, which combinesa standard finite element discretization in the fluid regionand a mixed finite element discretization in the solid region,allows the use of different meshes in fluid and solid regions.Both semi-discrete and fully discrete approximations are formulatedand analysed. Optimal order a priori error estimates in theenergy norm are shown. The main difficulty in the analysis iscaused by the two interface conditions which describe the interactionbetween the fluid and the solid. This is overcome by explicitlybuilding one of the interface conditions into the finite elementspaces. Iterative substructuring algorithms are also proposedfor effectively solving the discrete finite element equations.     

Refined mixed finite element method for the elasticity problem in a polygonal domain

The purpose of this article is to study a mixed formulation of the elasticity problem in plane polygonal domains and its numerical approximation. In this mixed formulation the strain tensor is introduced as a new unknown and its symmetry is relaxed by a Lagrange multiplier, which is nothing else than the rotation. Because of the corner points, the displacement field is not regular in general in the vicinity of the vertices but belongs to some weighted Sobolev space. Using this information, appropriate refinement rules are imposed on the family of triangulations in order to recapture optimal error estimates. Moreover, uniform error estimates in the Lamé coefficient λ are obtained for λ large. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 18: 323–339, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/num.10009     

Superconvergence of a 3D finite element method for stationary Stokes and Navier‐Stokes problems

For the Poisson equation on rectangular and brick meshes it is well known that the piecewise linear conforming finite element solution approximates the interpolant to a higher order than the solution itself. In this article, this type of supercloseness property is established for a special interpolant of the Q₂ ? P element applied to the 3D stationary Stokes and Navier‐Stokes problem, respectively. Moreover, applying a Q₃ ? P postprocessing technique, we can also state a superconvergence property for the discretization error of the postprocessed discrete solution to the solution itself. Finally, we show that inhomogeneous boundary values can be approximated by the Lagrange Q₂‐interpolation without influencing the superconvergence property. Numerical experiments verify the predicted convergence rates. Moreover, a cost‐benefit analysis between the two third‐order methods, the post‐processed Q₂ ? P discretization, and the Q₃ ? P discretization is carried out. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2005     

Numerical solution of diffraction problems by a least‐squares finite element method

Consider the diffraction of a time‐harmonic wave incident upon a periodic (grating) structure. Under certain assumptions, the diffraction problem may be modelled by a Helmholtz equation with transparent boundary conditions. In this paper, the diffraction problem is formulated as a first‐order system of linear equations and solved by a least‐squares finite element method. The method follows the general minus one norm approach of Bramble, Lazarov, and Pasciak. Our computational experiments indicate that the method is accurate with the optimal convergence property, and it is capable of dealing with complicated grating structures. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Superconvergence of nonconforming finite element method for the Stokes equations

This article derives a general superconvergence result for nonconforming finite element approximations of the Stokes problem by using a least‐squares surface fitting method proposed and analyzed recently by Wang for the standard Galerkin method. The superconvergence result is based on some regularity assumption for the Stokes problem and is applicable to any nonconforming stable finite elements with regular but nonuniform partitions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 18: 143–154, 2002; DOI 10.1002/num.1036     

Weak Galerkin finite element method for a class of quasilinear elliptic problems

The purpose of this paper is to study the weak Galerkin finite element method for a class of quasilinear elliptic problems. The weak Galerkin finite element scheme is proved to have a unique solution with the assumption that guarantees the corresponding operator to be strongly monotone and Lipschitz-continuous. An optimal error estimate in a mesh-dependent energy norm is established. Some numerical results are presented to confirm the theoretical analysis.     

Mixed finite element approximation of eddy current problems

Finite element approximations of eddy current problems thatare entirely based on the magnetic field H are haunted by theneed to enforce the algebraic constraint curl H=0 in non-conductingregions. As an alternative to techniques employing combinatorialSeifert (cutting) surfaces, in order to introduce a scalar magneticpotential we propose mixed multi-field formulations, which enforcethe constraint in the variational formulation. In light of thefact that the computation of cutting surfaces is expensive,the mixed finite element approximation is a viable option despitethe increased number of unknowns.     

A nonconforming mixed finite element for second-order elliptic problems

In a recent work, Hiptmair [Mathematisches Institut, M9404, 1994] has constructed and analyzed a family of nonconforming mixed finite elements for second-order elliptic problems. However, his analysis does not work on the lowest order elements. In this article, we show that it is possible to construct a nonconforming mixed finite element for the lowest order case. We prove the convergence and give estimates of optimal order for this finite element. Our proof is based on the use of the properties of the so-called nonconforming bubble function to control the consistency terms introduced by the nonconforming approximation. We further establish an equivalence between this mixed finite element and the nonconforming piecewise quadratic finite element of Fortin and Soulie [J. Numer. Methods Eng., 19, 505–520, 1983]. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 13: 445–457, 1997     

Discontinuous finite volume element method for parabolic problems

In this article, we consider the semidiscrete and the backward Euler fully discrete discontinuous finite volume element methods for the second‐order parabolic problems and obtain the optimal order error estimates in a mesh dependent norm and in the L²‐norm. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2010     

SUPG and grad‐div stabilized finite element methods for steady weakly compressible viscous flow

The extensive application of mathematical and computational methods has become an efficient and powerful approach to the investigation and solution of many problems and processes in fluid dynamics from qualitative as well as quantitative point of view. In this work a new class of advanced numerical approximation schemes to isothermal compressible viscous flow is presented. The schemes are based on an iteration between an Oseen like problem for the velocity and a hyperbolic transport equation for the density. Such schemes seem attractive for computations because they offer a reduction to simpler problems for which highly refined numerical methods either are known or can be built from existing approximation schemes to similar equations, and because of the guidance that can be drawn from an existence theory based on them. For the generalized Oseen subproblem a Taylor–Hood finite element method is proposed that is stabilized by a reduced SUPG and grad‐div technique (cf. [1, 4]) in the convection‐dominated case. Results of theoretical investigations and numerical studies are presented. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Superconvergence of a full‐discrete combined mixed finite element and discontinuous Galerkin method for a compressible miscible displacement problem

An efficient time‐stepping procedure is investigated for a two‐dimensional compressible miscible displacement problem in porous media in which the mixed finite element method with Raviart‐Thomas space is applied to the flow equation, and the transport one is solved by the symmetric interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin approximation on Cartesian meshes. Based on the projection interpolations and the induction hypotheses, a superconvergence error estimate is obtained. During the analysis, an extension of the Darcy velocity along the Gauss line is also used in the evaluation of the coefficients in the Galerkin procedure for the concentration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013