On the forced response of waveguides using the wave and finite element method

The forced response of waveguides subjected to time harmonic loading is treated. The approach starts with the wave and finite element (WFE) method where a segment of the waveguide is modeled using traditional finite element methods. The mass and stiffness matrices of the segment are used to formulate an eigenvalue problem whose solution yields the wave properties of the waveguide. The WFE formulation is used to obtain the response of the waveguide to a convected harmonic pressure (CHP). Since the Fourier transform of the response to a general excitation is a linear combination of the responses to CHPs, the response to a general excitation can be obtained via an inverse Fourier transform process. This is evaluated analytically using contour integration and the residue theorem. Hence, the approach presented herein enables the response of a waveguide to general loading to be found by: (a) modeling a segment of the waveguide using finite element methods and post-processing it to obtain the wave characteristics, (b) using Fourier transform and contour integration to obtain the wave amplitudes and (c) using the wave amplitudes to find the response at any point in the waveguide. Numerical examples are presented.     

The accuracy and stability of time domain finite element solutions

The use of finite elements in the time domain provides a means of determining the response of a mechanical system to any forcing function. Two types of elements are used; a cubic element which maintains continuity of displacement and velocity between adjacent elements, and a quintic element which also ensures continuity of acceleration. The accuracy of solutions depends on the number of elements per unit time, errors being inversely proportional to the square of the number of elements for the cubic and inversely proportional to the fourth power of the number of elements for the quintic element. A condition for the stability of a solution is also established.     

A strongly conservative finite element method for the coupling of Stokes and Darcy flow

We consider a model of coupled free and porous media flow governed by Stokes and Darcy equations with the Beavers–Joseph–Saffman interface condition. This model is discretized using divergence-conforming finite elements for the velocities in the whole domain. Discontinuous Galerkin techniques and mixed methods are used in the Stokes and Darcy subdomains, respectively. This discretization is strongly conservative in H^div(Ω) and we show convergence. Numerical results validate our findings and indicate optimal convergence orders.     

On stable parametric finite element methods for the Stefan problem and the Mullins–Sekerka problem with applications to dendritic growth

We introduce a parametric finite element approximation for the Stefan problem with the Gibbs–Thomson law and kinetic undercooling, which mimics the underlying energy structure of the problem. The proposed method is also applicable to certain quasi-stationary variants, such as the Mullins–Sekerka problem. In addition, fully anisotropic energies are easily handled. The approximation has good mesh properties, leading to a well-conditioned discretization, even in three space dimensions. Several numerical computations, including for dendritic growth and for snow crystal growth, are presented.     

A nodal discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for nonlinear elastic wave propagation

A nodal discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DG-FEM) to solve the linear and nonlinear elastic wave equation in heterogeneous media with arbitrary high order accuracy in space on unstructured triangular or quadrilateral meshes is presented. This DG-FEM method combines the geometrical flexibility of the finite element method, and the high parallelization potentiality and strongly nonlinear wave phenomena simulation capability of the finite volume method, required for nonlinear elastodynamics simulations. In order to facilitate the implementation based on a numerical scheme developed for electromagnetic applications, the equations of nonlinear elastodynamics have been written in a conservative form. The adopted formalism allows the introduction of different kinds of elastic nonlinearities, such as the classical quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, or the quadratic hysteretic nonlinearities. Absorbing layers perfectly matched to the calculation domain of the nearly perfectly matched layers type have been introduced to simulate, when needed, semi-infinite or infinite media. The developed DG-FEM scheme has been verified by means of a comparison with analytical solutions and numerical results already published in the literature for simple geometrical configurations: Lamb's problem and plane wave nonlinear propagation.     

A spectral finite element for analysis of wave propagation in uniform composite tubes

A spectral finite element model (SFEM) for analysis of coupled broadband wave propagation in composite tubular structure is presented. Wave motions in terms of three translational and three rotational degrees of freedom at tube cross-section are considered based on first order shear flexible cylindrical bending, torsion and secondary warping. Solutions are obtained in wavenumber space by solving the coupled wave equation in 3-D. An efficient and fully automated computational strategy is developed to obtain the wavenumbers of coupled wave modes, spectral element shape function, strain-displacement matrix and the exact dynamic stiffness matrix. The formulation emphasizes on a compact matrix methodology to handle large-scale computational model of built-up network of such cylindrical waveguides. Thickness and frequency limits for application of the element is discussed. Performance of the element is compared with analytical solution based on membrane shell kinematics. A map of the distribution of vibrational modes in wavelength and time scales is presented. Effect of fiber angle on natural frequencies, phase and group dispersions are also discussed. Numerical simulations show the ease with which dynamic responses can be obtained efficiently. Parametric studies on a clamped-free graphite-epoxy composite tube under short-impulse load are carried out to obtain the effect of various composite configurations and tube geometries on the response.     

有限元法分析空心后向反射器面形精度

为了探索空心后向反射器在工作状态下光学特性的变化 ,通过运用有限元法和在DEC/ 5 0 0 0工作站上采用MSC/NASTRAN程序 ,研究了用三种不同性能材料制成的空心后向反射器在不同几何尺寸和不同支承点位置时 ,载荷与温度梯度对空心后向反射器面形精度的影响。分别得出了反射器工作面变形与载荷大小、材料性能、支承点位置、温度梯度的关系曲线。这些曲线表明 :在确定条件下的反射器有一最佳的支承点位置 ;材料性能中的弹性模量对面形精度的影响最为显著 ;面形精度与载荷大小、温度梯度基本上成线性关系 ,但温度梯度是影响面形精度诸因素中的主要因素     

Monotonicity recovering and accuracy preserving optimization methods for postprocessing finite element solutions

We suggest here a least-change correction to available finite element (FE) solution. This postprocessing procedure is aimed at recovering the monotonicity and some other important properties that may not be exhibited by the FE solution. Although our approach is presented for FEs, it admits natural extension to other numerical schemes, such as finite differences and finite volumes. For the postprocessing, a priori information about the monotonicity is assumed to be available, either for the whole domain or for a subdomain where the lost monotonicity is to be recovered. The obvious requirement is that such information is to be obtained without involving the exact solution, e.g. from expected symmetries of this solution.The postprocessing is based on solving a monotonic regression problem with some extra constraints. One of them is a linear equality-type constraint that models the conservativity requirement. The other ones are box-type constraints, and they originate from the discrete maximum principle. The resulting postprocessing problem is a large scale quadratic optimization problem. It is proved that the postprocessed FE solution preserves the accuracy of the discrete FE approximation.We introduce an algorithm for solving the postprocessing problem. It can be viewed as a dual ascent method based on the Lagrangian relaxation of the equality constraint. We justify theoretically its correctness. Its efficiency is demonstrated by the presented results of numerical experiments.     

On the generalized power moment problem

We present a method for solving the power moment problem in the general case where the given moments are arbitrary finite real numbers.     

A finite element dynamical nonlinear subscale approximation for the low Mach number flow equations

In this work we propose a variational multiscale finite element approximation of thermally coupled low speed flows. The physical model is described by the low Mach number equations, which are obtained as a limit of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations in the small Mach number regime. In contrast to the commonly used Boussinesq approximation, this model permits to take volumetric deformation into account. Although the former is more general than the latter, both systems have similar mathematical structure and their numerical approximation can suffer from the same type of instabilities.     

Approximation of the inductionless MHD problem using a stabilized finite element method

In this work, we present a stabilized formulation to solve the inductionless magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) problem using the finite element (FE) method. The MHD problem couples the Navier–Stokes equations and a Darcy-type system for the electric potential via Lorentz’s force in the momentum equation of the Navier–Stokes equations and the currents generated by the moving fluid in Ohm’s law. The key feature of the FE formulation resides in the design of the stabilization terms, which serve several purposes. First, the formulation is suitable for convection dominated flows. Second, there is no need to use interpolation spaces constrained to a compatibility condition in both sub-problems and therefore, equal-order interpolation spaces can be used for all the unknowns. Finally, this formulation leads to a coupled linear system; this monolithic approach is effective, since the coupling can be dealt by effective preconditioning and iterative solvers that allows to deal with high Hartmann numbers.     

A kinetic theory and benchmark predictions for polymer-dispersed, semi-flexible macromolecular rods or platelets

The goals of this paper are: to present a mean-field kinetic theory for the hydrodynamics of macromolecular high aspect ratio rods or platelets dispersed in a polymeric solvent; and, to apply the formalism to predict the impact due to a polymeric versus viscous solvent on the classical Onsager isotropic-nematic equilibrium phase diagram and on the monodomain response to imposed steady shear. The kinetic theory coupling between the nanoscale rods or platelets and the polymeric solvent is incorporated through a mean-field potential that reflects the enormous particle-polymer surface area and the particle-polymer interactions across this interfacial area. To determine predictions of this theory on the equilibrium and sheared monodomain phase diagrams, we present a reduction procedure which approximates the coupled Smoluchowski equations for the polymer chain probability distribution function (PDF) and the nano-particle orientational PDF in favor of a coupled system of equations for the rank 2 second-moment tensors for each PDF. The reduced model consists of an 11-dimensional dynamical system, which we solve using continuation software (AUTO) to predict the modified Onsager equilibrium phase diagram and the modified Doi-Hess shear phase diagram due to the physics of polymer-particle surface interactions.     

A semi-analytical finite element formulation for modeling stress wave propagation in axisymmetric damped waveguides

A semi-analytical finite element (SAFE) method is presented for analyzing the wave propagation in viscoelastic axisymmetric waveguides. The approach extends a recent study presented by the authors, in which the general SAFE method was extended to account for material damping. The formulation presented in this paper uses the cylindrical coordinates to reduce the finite element discretization over the waveguide cross-section to a mono-dimensional mesh. The algorithm is validated by comparing the dispersion results with viscoelastic cases for which a Superposition of Partial Bulk Waves solution is known. The formulation accurately predicts dispersion properties and does not show any missing root. Applications to viscoelastic axisymmetric waveguides with varying mechanical and geometrical properties are presented.     

Calculating the forced response of two-dimensional homogeneous media using the wave and finite element method

The forced response of two-dimensional, infinite, homogenous media subjected to time harmonic loading is treated. The approach starts with the wave and the finite element (WFE) method where a small segment of a homogeneous medium is modelled using commercial or in-house finite element (FE) packages. The approach is equally applicable to periodic structures with a periodic cell being modelled. This relatively small model is then used, along with periodicity conditions, to formulate an eigenvalue problem whose solution yields the wave characteristics of the whole medium. The eigenvalue problem involves the excitation frequency and the wavenumbers (or propagation constants) in the two directions. The wave characteristics of the medium are then used to obtain the response of the medium to a convected harmonic pressure (CHP). Since the Fourier transform of a general two-dimensional excitation is a linear combination of CHPs, the response to a general excitation is a linear combination of the responses to CHPs. Thus, the response of a two-dimensional medium to a general excitation can be obtained by evaluating an inverse Fourier transform. This is a double integral, one of which is evaluated analytically using contour integration and the residue theorem. The other integral can be evaluated numerically. Hence, the approach presented herein enables the response of an infinite two-dimensional or periodic medium to an arbitrary load to be computed via (a) modelling a small segment of the medium using standard FE methods and post-processing its model to obtain the wave characteristics, (b) formulating the Fourier transform of the response to a general loading, and (c) computing the inverse of the Fourier transform semi-analytically via contour integration and the residue theorem, followed by a numerical integration to find the response at any point in the medium. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the approach.     

Calculating the forced response of cylinders and cylindrical shells using the wave and finite element method

The dynamic response of circular cylinders can be obtained analytically in very few (and simple) cases. For complicated (thick or anisotropic) circular cylinders, researchers often resort to the finite element (FE) method. This can lead to large models, especially at higher frequencies, which translates into high computational costs and memory requirements. In this paper, the response of axially homogenous circular cylinders (that can be arbitrarily complex through the thickness) is obtained using the wave and finite element (WFE) method. Here, the homogeneity of the cylinder around the circumference and along the axis are exploited to post-process the FE model of a small rectangular segment of the cylinder using periodic structure theory and obtain the wave characteristics of the cylinder. The full power of FE methods can be utilised to obtain the FE model of the small segment. Then, the forced response of the cylinder is posed as an inverse Fourier transform. However, since there are an integer number of wavelengths around the circumference of a closed circular cylinder, one of the integrals in the inverse Fourier transform becomes a simple summation, whereas the other can be resolved analytically using contour integration and the residue theorem. The result is a computationally efficient technique for obtaining the response to time harmonic, arbitrarily distributed loads of axially homogenous, circular cylinders with arbitrary complexity across the thickness.     

A stochastic mixed finite element heterogeneous multiscale method for flow in porous media

A computational methodology is developed to efficiently perform uncertainty quantification for fluid transport in porous media in the presence of both stochastic permeability and multiple scales. In order to capture the small scale heterogeneity, a new mixed multiscale finite element method is developed within the framework of the heterogeneous multiscale method (HMM) in the spatial domain. This new method ensures both local and global mass conservation. Starting from a specified covariance function, the stochastic log-permeability is discretized in the stochastic space using a truncated Karhunen–Loève expansion with several random variables. Due to the small correlation length of the covariance function, this often results in a high stochastic dimensionality. Therefore, a newly developed adaptive high dimensional stochastic model representation technique (HDMR) is used in the stochastic space. This results in a set of low stochastic dimensional subproblems which are efficiently solved using the adaptive sparse grid collocation method (ASGC). Numerical examples are presented for both deterministic and stochastic permeability to show the accuracy and efficiency of the developed stochastic multiscale method.     

Fundamental accuracy of time domain finite element method for sound-field analysis of rooms

This paper presents an assessment of the accuracy and applicability of a time domain finite element method (TDFEM) for sound-field analysis in architectural space. This TDFEM incorporates several techniques: (1) a hexahedral 27-node isoparametric acoustic element using a spline function; (2) a lumped acoustic dissipation matrix; and (3) Newmark time integration method with an absolute diagonal scaled COCG iterative solver. Sound fields in an irregularly shaped reverberation room of 166 m³ are computed using TDFEM. The computed values and measured values for 125-500 Hz are compared, revealing that the fine structure of the computed band-limited impulse responses agree with measured ones up to 0.1 s, with a cross-correlation coefficient greater than 0.93. The cross-correlation coefficient decreases gradually over time, and more rapidly for higher frequencies. Moreover, the computed decay curves, and the reverberation times, agree well with the respective measured ones, and with a better fit the higher the frequency (up to 500 Hz).