Mixed finite element methods for unilateral problems: convergence analysis and numerical studies

In this paper, we propose and study different mixed variational methods in order to approximate with finite elements the unilateral problems arising in contact mechanics. The discretized unilateral conditions at the candidate contact interface are expressed by using either continuous piecewise linear or piecewise constant Lagrange multipliers in the saddle-point formulation. A priori error estimates are established and several numerical studies corresponding to the different choices of the discretized unilateral conditions are achieved.

     

Méthode d'éléments finis avec hybridisation frontière pour les problèmes de contact avec frottementFinite element method with Lagrange multipliers for contact problems with friction

In this Note, we propose a finite element method with Lagrange multipliers in order to approximate contact problems with friction. The discretized normal and tangential constraints at the candidate contact interface are expressed by using continuous piecewise linear Lagrange multipliers in the saddle-point formulation. An optimal error estimate is established and several numerical studies corresponding to this choice of the discretized normal and tangential constraints are achieved. To cite this article: L. Baillet, T. Sassi, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 917–922.     

Optimization for discretized switched systems

Switching time optimization is a crucial topic in the optimal control of hybrid systems. Since it is rare that such problems can be solved analytically, the use of numerical discretization schemes for the integration of state and adjoint systems is indispensable. Thus, in this contribution, the switching time optimization problem is studied in a discretized formulation directly from the beginning. An analysis of the discretized problem reveals that smoothness of the original (continuous time) problem is lost, i.e. the problem will in general become nondifferentiable in discrete time. This has to be taken into account when deriving an adjoint-based formula for the optimization of the discretized problem. A hybrid double pendulum example is used for illustration of the results. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical simulations of water–gas flow in heterogeneous porous media with discontinuous capillary pressures by the concept of global pressure

We present an approach and numerical results for a new formulation modeling immiscible compressible two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media with discontinuous capillary pressures. The main feature of this model is the introduction of a new global pressure, and it is fully equivalent to the original equations. The resulting equations are written in a fractional flow formulation and lead to a coupled degenerate system which consists of a nonlinear parabolic (the global pressure) equation and a nonlinear diffusion–convection one (the saturation equation) with nonlinear transmission conditions at the interfaces that separate different media. The resulting system is discretized using a vertex-centred finite volume method combined with pressure and flux interface conditions for the treatment of heterogeneities. An implicit Euler approach is used for time discretization. A Godunov-type method is used to treat the convection terms, and the diffusion terms are discretized by piecewise linear conforming finite elements. We present numerical simulations for three one-dimensional benchmark tests to demonstrate the ability of the method to approximate solutions of water–gas equations efficiently and accurately in nuclear underground waste disposal situations.     

On the coupling of regularization techniques and the boundary element method for a hemivariational inequality modelling a delamination problem

In this paper, we couple regularization techniques of nondifferentiable optimization with the h‐version of the boundary element method (h‐BEM) to solve nonsmooth variational problems arising in contact mechanics. As a model example, we consider the delamination problem. The variational formulation of this problem leads to a hemivariational inequality with a nonsmooth functional defined on the contact boundary. This problem is first regularized and then discretized by an h‐BEM. We prove convergence of the h‐BEM Galerkin solution of the regularized problem in the energy norm, provide an a priori error estimate and give a numerical examples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mixed finite element methods for the Signorini problem with friction

In this article, we propose and study different mixed variational methods in order to approximate the Signorini problem with friction using finite elements. The discretized normal and tangential constraints at the contact interface are expressed by using either continuous piecewise linear or piecewise constant Lagrange multipliers in the saddle?point formulation. A priori error estimates are established and several numerical examples corresponding to the different choices of the discretized normal and tangential constraints are carried out. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006     

Energy-momentum schemes for large deformation contact problems

Dynamic contact problems in elasticity are dealt with in the framework of nonlinear finite element methods. A new energymomentum conserving time-stepping scheme for the mortar contact formulation is presented. The proposed method relies on a reparametrization of the contact constraints in terms of specific invariants. For the time discretisation of the contact forces emanating from the mortar formulation the notion of a discrete gradient is applied. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Variational theory and domain decomposition for nonlocal problems

In this article we present the first results on domain decomposition methods for nonlocal operators. We present a nonlocal variational formulation for these operators and establish the well-posedness of associated boundary value problems, proving a nonlocal Poincaré inequality. To determine the conditioning of the discretized operator, we prove a spectral equivalence which leads to a mesh size independent upper bound for the condition number of the stiffness matrix. We then introduce a nonlocal two-domain variational formulation utilizing nonlocal transmission conditions, and prove equivalence with the single-domain formulation. A nonlocal Schur complement is introduced. We establish condition number bounds for the nonlocal stiffness and Schur complement matrices. Supporting numerical experiments demonstrating the conditioning of the nonlocal one- and two-domain problems are presented.     

Moving Kriging Interpolation-based Meshfree Method for Dynamic Analysis of Structures

A novel meshfree model based on the standard element-free Galerkin method incorporated moving Kriging interpolation (MK) is developed for free and forced vibration analysis of 2D structures. Instead of employing moving least square approximation (MLS), shape functions here are constructed by the MK method. Due to the satisfaction of the Kronecker delta function, the essential boundary conditions are thus imposed directly as the finite element method and no special techniques are required. Elastodynamic equations are transformed into a standard weak formulation and then discretized into a meshfree time-dependent equation solved by the standard Newmark time integration method. Some numerical examples of stuctural problems in 2D are attempted, and it is found that the method is adequately accurate and stable for dynamic problems. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A posteriori error estimates in quantities of interest for the finite element heterogeneous multiscale method

We present an “a posteriori” error analysis in quantities of interest for elliptic homogenization problems discretized by the finite element heterogeneous multiscale method. The multiscale method is based on a macro‐to‐micro formulation, where the macroscopic physical problem is discretized in a macroscopic finite element space, and the missing macroscopic data are recovered on‐the‐fly using the solutions of corresponding microscopic problems. We propose a new framework that allows to follow the concept of the (single‐scale) dual‐weighted residual method at the macroscopic level in order to derive a posteriori error estimates in quantities of interests for multiscale problems. Local error indicators, derived in the macroscopic domain, can be used for adaptive goal‐oriented mesh refinement. These error indicators rely only on available macroscopic and microscopic solutions. We further provide a detailed analysis of the data approximation error, including the quadrature errors. Numerical experiments confirm the efficiency of the adaptive method and the effectivity of our error estimates in the quantities of interest. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013     

An adaptive NS/ES-FEM approach for 2D contact problems using triangular elements

An adaptive contact analysis approach is presented for 2D solid mechanics problems using only triangular elements and the subdomain parametric variational principle (SPVP). The present approach is implemented for the node-based smoothed FEM (or NS-FEM), the edge-based smoothed FEM (ES-FEM) and the standard FEM models with automatically adaptive refinement scheme. A modified Coulomb frictional contact model and its corresponding discrete equations are introduced. The global discretized system equations are then formulated in an incremental form with the aid of the basic boundary value equations for friction contact and the subdomain parametric variational principle. A simple adaptive refining scheme is presented, and the Voronoi vertices are taken as candidate points to become new nodes because of duality property between the Voronoi diagrams and Delaunay triangulation. The present adaptive approach can properly simulate variable behaviors of a contact interface such as bonding/debonding, contacting/departing, and sticking/slipping. Several examples are presented to numerically validate the proposed approach via the comparison with reference solutions obtained by ABAQUS^®, and to investigate the effects of the various parameters used in the computations on the response of the contact system. The numerical results have demonstrated that the present adaptive contact analysis approach using the ES-FEM has higher accuracy and convergence rate in the strain energy than that using FEM and NS-FEM. However, the latter two methods can provide the lower and upper bound solution for the system strain energy, respectively.     

Existence of a Fixed Point of a Nonsmooth Function Arising in Numerical Mechanics

A recent work (Acary et al. 2010) introduces a formulation as a nonsmooth fixed-point problem of a basic problem in numerical mechanics (namely the dynamical Coulomb friction problem in finite dimension with discretized time). Using this new formulation, the existence of a solution to the problem and its numerical resolution are then guaranteed under a strong assumption on the data of this problem. In this paper, we show that the fixed point problem admits solution under a natural, weaker assumption. This existence proof uses a perturbation argument combined with continuity properties of a set-valued mapping associated with the constraints of the problem.     

Time-space boundary element formulation for boundary-value problems

A time-space boundary element formulation is presented for the boundary-value problems with a governing equation expressed in terms of a certain type of linear operator. The boundary as well as the time domain are divided into a finite series of time-space elements, and the interpolation functions in time and space are introduced in order to construct a final discretized equation for the assembled system. The solving scheme is discussed, and the relation to the practical engineering problems is shown.     

Hybrid boundary element formulation for acoustic wave propagation

The so‐called hybrid stress boundary element method (HSBEM) is introduced in a frequency domain formulation for the computation of acoustic radiation and scattering in closed and in finite domains. Different from other boundary element formulations, the HSBEM is based on an extended Hellinger‐Reissner variational principle and leads to a Hermitian, frequency‐dependent stiffness equation. Due to this, the method is very well suited for treating fluid structure interaction problems since the effort for the coupling the structure, discretized by a finite elements, and the fluid, discretized by the HSBEM is strongly reduced. To arrive at a boundary integral formulation, the field variables are separated into boundary variables, which are approximated by piecewise polynomial functions, and domain variables, which are approximated by a superposition of singular fundamental solutions weighed by source strength. This approximation cancels the domain integral over the equation of motion in the hybrid principle and leads to a boundary integral formulation, incorporating singular integrals. Comparing to previous results published by the authors, new considerations concerning the interpretation of singular contributions in the stiffness matrix for exterior domain problems are communicated here.     

A high‐order B‐spline collocation scheme for solving a nonhomogeneous time‐fractional diffusion equation

A high‐accuracy numerical approach for a nonhomogeneous time‐fractional diffusion equation with Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions is described in this paper. The time‐fractional derivative is described in the sense of Riemann‐Liouville and discretized by the backward Euler scheme. A fourth‐order optimal cubic B‐spline collocation (OCBSC) method is used to discretize the space variable. The stability analysis with respect to time discretization is carried out, and it is shown that the method is unconditionally stable. Convergence analysis of the method is performed. Two numerical examples are considered to demonstrate the performance of the method and validate the theoretical results. It is shown that the proposed method is of order O(Δx⁴ + Δt^{2 ? α}) convergence, where α ∈ (0,1) . Moreover, the impact of fractional‐order derivative on the solution profile is investigated. Numerical results obtained by the present method are compared with those obtained by the method based on standard cubic B‐spline collocation method. The CPU time for present numerical method and the method based on cubic B‐spline collocation method are provided.     

Adaptive optimal control of Signorini’s problem

In this article, we present a-posteriori error estimations in context of optimal control of contact problems; in particular of Signorini’s problem. Due to the contact side-condition, the solution operator of the underlying variational inequality is not differentiable, yet we want to apply Newton’s method. Therefore, the non-smooth problem is regularized by penalization and afterwards discretized by finite elements. We derive optimality systems for the regularized formulation in the continuous as well as in the discrete case. This is done explicitly for Signorini’s contact problem, which covers linear elasticity and linearized surface contact conditions. The latter creates the need for treating trace-operations carefully, especially in contrast to obstacle contact conditions, which exert in the domain. Based on the dual weighted residual method and these optimality systems, we deduce error representations for the regularization, discretization and numerical errors. Those representations are further developed into error estimators. The resulting error estimator for regularization error is defined only in the contact area. Therefore its computational cost is especially low for Signorini’s contact problem. Finally, we utilize the estimators in an adaptive refinement strategy balancing regularization and discretization errors. Numerical results substantiate the theoretical findings. We present different examples concerning Signorini’s problem in two and three dimensions.     

Finite element analysis of the vibration problem of a plate coupled with a fluid

Summary. We consider the approximation of the vibration modes of an elastic plate in contact with a compressible fluid. The plate is modelled by Reissner-Mindlin equations while the fluid is described in terms of displacement variables. This formulation leads to a symmetric eigenvalue problem. Reissner-Mindlin equations are discretized by a mixed method, the equations for the fluid with Raviart-Thomas elements and a non conforming coupling is used on the interface. In order to prove that the method is locking free we consider a family of problems, one for each thickness , and introduce appropriate scalings for the physical parameters so that these problems attain a limit when . We prove that spurious eigenvalues do not arise with this discretization and we obtain optimal order error estimates for the eigenvalues and eigenvectors valid uniformly on the thickness parameter t. Finally we present numerical results confirming the good performance of the method. Received February 4, 1998 / Revised version received May 26, 1999 / Published online June 21, 2000     

Time-space boundary elements for transient heat conduction problems

This paper is concerned with a generalized time-space boundary element formulation for transient heat conduction problems in anisotropic media. A weighted residual form of the governing equation is used to obtain the boundary integral equation in terms of the fundamental solution. The resulting boundary integral equation is discretized by means of a wide variety of boundary elements from constant-elements to higher-order isoparametric elements located both in time and space.     

System dynamics and feedback control problem formulations for real time dynamic traffic routing

This paper formulates the Dynamic Traffic Routing (DTR) problem as a real-time feedback control problem. Three different forms of the formulation are presented:

• 1.(1) distributed parameter system form derived from the conservation law;
• 2.(2) space discretized continuous lumped parameter form;
• 3.(3) space and time discretized lumped parameter form.

These formulations can be considered as the starting points for development of feedback control laws for the different control problems stated in this paper. This paper presents the feedback control problems, and does not discuss in detail the methodology of solution techniques which could be used to solve these problems. However, for the sake of completeness a brief treatment of the three forms are included in this paper to show possible ways to design the controllers.     

A Mixed Method for the Elastoplastic Torsion Problem

In this paper a mixed formulation for the elastoplastic torsionproblem is given. This formulation is discretized with the finiteelements of Raviart & Thomas (1977) and error estimatesare obtained. For solving the (non-linear) approximated probleman iterative algorithm is proposed and analysed.