Recovery type superconvergence and a posteriori error estimates for control problems governed by Stokes equations

In this paper, we derive recovery type superconvergence analysis and a posteriori error estimates for the finite element approximation of the distributed optimal control governed by Stokes equations. We obtain superconvergence results and asymptotically exact a posteriori error estimates by applying two recovery methods, which are the patch recovery technique and the least-squares surface fitting method. Our results are based on some regularity assumption for the Stokes control problems and are applicable to the first order conforming finite element method with regular but nonuniform partitions.     

A GLOBAL-LOCAL FINITE ELEMENT METHOD IN SPACE-TIME FOR A HYPERBOLIC PROBLEM

ABSTRACT

A finite element method for solving the wave equation with couples boundary conditions is presented. In this approach finite elements are applied globally with respect to space and simultaneously but locally with respect to time. This gives rise to a single-step method in time. The method is a practical and economic one and the numerical results obtained compare favourably with the available analytic solution.     

A framework for obtaining guaranteed error bounds for finite element approximations

We give an overview of our recent progress in developing a framework for the derivation of fully computable guaranteed posteriori error bounds for finite element approximation including conforming, non-conforming, mixed and discontinuous finite element schemes. Whilst the details of the actual estimator are rather different for each particular scheme, there is nonetheless a common underlying structure at work in all cases. We aim to illustrate this structure by treating conforming, non-conforming and discontinuous finite element schemes in a single framework. In taking a rather general viewpoint, some of the finer details of the analysis that rely on the specific properties of each particular scheme are obscured but, in return, we hope to allow the reader to ‘see the wood despite the trees’.     

Error estimators for advection–reaction–diffusion equations based on the solution of local problems

This paper deals with a posteriori error estimates for advection–reaction–diffusion equations. In particular, error estimators based on the solution of local problems are derived for a stabilized finite element method. These estimators are proved to be equivalent to the error, with equivalence constants eventually depending on the physical parameters. Numerical experiments illustrating the performance of this approach are reported.     

Error estimates of the lumped mass finite element method for semilinear elliptic problems

We are concerned with the semilinear elliptic problems. We first investigate the L²-error estimate for the lumped mass finite element method. We then use the cascadic multigrid method to solve the corresponding discrete problem. On the basis of the finite element error estimates, we prove the optimality of the proposed multigrid method. We also report some numerical results to support the theory.     

Error analysis of upwind‐discretizations for the steady‐state incompressible Navier–Stokes equations

Within the framework of finite element methods, the paper investigates a general approximation technique for the nonlinear convective term of the Navier–Stokes equations. The approach is based on an upwind method of finite volume type. It is proved that the discrete convective term satisfies a well‐known collection of sufficient conditions for convergence of the finite element solution. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A stabilized mixed finite element method for the biharmonic equation based on biorthogonal systems

We propose a stabilized finite element method for the approximation of the biharmonic equation with a clamped boundary condition. The mixed formulation of the biharmonic equation is obtained by introducing the gradient of the solution and a Lagrange multiplier as new unknowns. Working with a pair of bases forming a biorthogonal system, we can easily eliminate the gradient of the solution and the Lagrange multiplier from the saddle point system leading to a positive definite formulation. Using a superconvergence property of a gradient recovery operator, we prove an optimal a priori estimate for the finite element discretization for a class of meshes.     

A unified approach to a posteriori error estimation using element residual methods

Summary This paper deals with the problem of obtaining numerical estimates of the accuracy of approximations to solutions of elliptic partial differential equations. It is shown that, by solving appropriate local residual type problems, one can obtain upper bounds on the error in the energy norm. Moreover, in the special case of adaptiveh-p finite element analysis, the estimator will also give a realistic estimate of the error. A key feature of this is the development of a systematic approach to the determination of boundary conditions for the local problems. The work extends and combines several existing methods to the case of fullh-p finite element approximation on possibly irregular meshes with, elements of non-uniform degree. As a special case, the analysis proves a conjecture made by Bank and Weiser [Some A Posteriori Error Estimators for Elliptic Partial Differential Equations, Math. Comput.44, 283–301 (1985)].     

Controllability method for acoustic scattering with spectral elements

We formulate the Helmholtz equation as an exact controllability problem for the time-dependent wave equation. The problem is then discretized in time domain with central finite difference scheme and in space domain with spectral elements. This approach leads to high accuracy in spatial discretization. Moreover, the spectral element method results in diagonal mass matrices, which makes the time integration of the wave equation highly efficient. After discretization, the exact controllability problem is reformulated as a least-squares problem, which is solved by the conjugate gradient method. We illustrate the method with some numerical experiments, which demonstrate the significant improvements in efficiency due to the higher order spectral elements. For a given accuracy, the controllability technique with spectral element method requires fewer computational operations than with conventional finite element method. In addition, by using higher order polynomial basis the influence of the pollution effect is reduced.     

Additive Schwarz methods for thep-version finite element method

Summary In this paper, we study some additive Schwarz methods (ASM) for thep-version finite element method. We consider linear, scalar, self adjoint, second order elliptic problems and quadrilateral elements in the finite element discretization. We prove a constant bound independent of the degreep and the number of subdomainsN, for the condition number of the ASM iteration operator. This optimal result is obtained first in dimension two. It is then generalized to dimensionn and to a variant of the method on the interface. Numerical experiments confirming these results are reported. As is the case for other additive Schwarz methods, our algorithms are highly parallel and scalable.This work was supported in part by the Applied Math. Sci. Program of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-FG02-88ER25053 and, in part, by the National Science Foundation under Grant NSF-CCR-9204255     

An augmented mixed finite element method for 3D linear elasticity problems

In this paper we introduce and analyze a new augmented mixed finite element method for linear elasticity problems in 3D. Our approach is an extension of a technique developed recently for plane elasticity, which is based on the introduction of consistent terms of Galerkin least-squares type. We consider non-homogeneous and homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions and prove that the resulting augmented variational formulations lead to strongly coercive bilinear forms. In this way, the associated Galerkin schemes become well posed for arbitrary choices of the corresponding finite element subspaces. In particular, Raviart-Thomas spaces of order 0 for the stress tensor, continuous piecewise linear elements for the displacement, and piecewise constants for the rotation can be utilized. Moreover, we show that in this case the number of unknowns behaves approximately as 9.5 times the number of elements (tetrahedrons) of the triangulation, which is cheaper, by a factor of 3, than the classical PEERS in 3D. Several numerical results illustrating the good performance of the augmented schemes are provided.     

A Zienkiewicz-type finite element applied to fourth-order problems

This paper deals with convergence analysis and applications of a Zienkiewicz-type (Z-type) triangular element, applied to fourth-order partial differential equations. For the biharmonic problem we prove the order of convergence by comparison to a suitable modified Hermite triangular finite element. This method is more natural and it could be applied to the corresponding fourth-order eigenvalue problem. We also propose a simple postprocessing method which improves the order of convergence of finite element eigenpairs. Thus, an a posteriori analysis is presented by means of different triangular elements. Some computational aspects are discussed and numerical examples are given.     

Dual-mixed finite element approximation of Stokes and nonlinear Stokes problems using trace-free velocity gradients

In this work a finite element method for a dual-mixed approximation of Stokes and nonlinear Stokes problems is studied. The dual-mixed structure, which yields a twofold saddle point problem, arises in a formulation of this problem through the introduction of unknown variables with relevant physical meaning. The method approximates the velocity, its gradient, and the total stress tensor, but avoids the explicit computation of the pressure, which can be recovered through a simple postprocessing technique. This method improves an existing approach for these problems and uses Raviart-Thomas elements and discontinuous piecewise polynomials for approximating the unknowns. Existence, uniqueness, and error results for the method are given, and numerical experiments that exhibit the reduced computational cost of this approach are presented.     

On the asymptotic exactness of error estimators for linear triangular finite elements

Summary This paper deals with a-posteriori error estimates for piecewise linear finite element approximations of elliptic problems. We analyze two estimators based on recovery operators for the gradient of the approximate solution. By using superconvergence results we prove their asymptotic exactness under regularity assumptions on the mesh and the solution.One of the estimators can be easily computed in terms of the jumps of the gradient of the finite element approximation. This estimator is equivalent to the error in the energy norm under rather general conditions. However, we show that for the asymptotic exactness, the regularity assumption on the mesh is not merely technical. While doing this, we analyze the relation between superconvergence and asymptotic exactness for some particular examples.     

A posteriori finite element error estimators for indefinite elliptic boundary value problems ∗

A general construction technique is presented for a posteriori error estimators of finite element solutions of elliptic boundary value problems that satisfy a Gång inequality. The estimators are obtained by an element–by–element solution of ‘weak residual’ with or without considering element boundary residuals. There is no order restriction on the finite element spaces used for the approximate solution or the error estimation; that is, the design of the estimators is applicable in connection with either one of the h–p–, or hp– formulations of the finite element method. Under suitable assumptions it is shown that the estimators are bounded by constant multiples of the true error in a suitable norm. Some numerical results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the approach.     

Biquadratic finite volume element methods based on optimal stress points for parabolic problems

In this paper, the semi-discrete and full discrete biquadratic finite volume element schemes based on optimal stress points for a class of parabolic problems are presented. Optimal order error estimates in H¹ and L² norms are derived. In addition, the superconvergences of numerical gradients at optimal stress points are also discussed. A numerical experiment confirms some results of theoretical analysis.     

An approximation of incompressible miscible displacement in porous media by mixed finite element method and characteristics-mixed finite element method

An approximation scheme is defined for incompressible miscible displacement in porous media. This scheme is constructed by using two methods. Standard mixed finite element is used for the Darcy velocity equation. A characteristics-mixed finite element method is presented for the concentration equation. Characteristic approximation is applied to handle the convection part of the concentration equation, and a lowest-order mixed finite element spatial approximation is adopted to deal with the diffusion part. Thus, the scalar unknown concentration and the diffusive flux can be approximated simultaneously. In order to derive the optimal L²$L^2$-norm error estimates, a post-processing step is included in the approximation to the scalar unknown concentration. This scheme conserves mass globally; in fact, on the discrete level, fluid is transported along the approximate characteristics. Numerical experiments are presented finally to validate the theoretical analysis.     

Weighted quadrature rules for finite element methods

We discuss the numerical integration of polynomials times non-polynomial weighting functions in two dimensions arising from multiscale finite element computations. The proposed quadrature rules are significantly more accurate than standard quadratures and are better suited to existing finite element codes than formulas computed by symbolic integration. We validate this approach by introducing the new quadrature formulas into a multiscale finite element method for the two-dimensional reaction–diffusion equation.     

An adaptive stabilized finite element method for the generalized Stokes problem

In this work we present an adaptive strategy (based on an a posteriori error estimator) for a stabilized finite element method for the Stokes problem, with and without a reaction term. The hierarchical type estimator is based on the solution of local problems posed on appropriate finite dimensional spaces of bubble-like functions. An equivalence result between the norm of the finite element error and the estimator is given, where the dependence of the constants on the physics of the problem is explicited. Several numerical results confirming both the theoretical results and the good performance of the estimator are given.     

Superconvergence of new mixed finite element spaces

In this paper we prove some superconvergence of a new family of mixed finite element spaces of higher order which we introduced in [ETNA, Vol. 37, pp. 189-201, 2010]. Among all the mixed finite element spaces having an optimal order of convergence on quadrilateral grids, this space has the smallest unknowns. However, the scalar variable is only suboptimal in general; thus we have employed a post-processing technique for the scalar variable. As a byproduct, we have obtained a superconvergence on a rectangular grid. The superconvergence of a velocity variable naturally holds and can be shown by a minor modification of existing theory, but that of a scalar variable requires a new technique, especially for k=1. Numerical experiments are provided to support the theory.