Review and complements on mixed-hybrid finite element methods for fluid flows

Mixed and hybrid finite element methods for the resolution of a wide range of linear and nonlinear boundary value problems (linear elasticity, Stokes problem, Navier–Stokes equations, Boussinesq equations, etc.) have known a great development in the last few years. These methods allow simultaneous computation of the original variable and its gradient, both of them being equally accurate. Moreover, they have local conservation properties (conservation of the mass and the momentum) as in the finite volume methods.The purpose of this paper is to give a review on some mixed finite elements developed recently for the resolution of Stokes and Navier–Stokes equations, and the linear elasticity problem. Further developments for a quasi-Newtonian flow obeying the power law are presented.     

A new mixed finite element method for the Stokes problem

We propose a new mixed formulation of the Stokes problem where the extra stress tensor is considered. Based on such a formulation, a mixed finite element is constructed and analyzed. This new finite element has properties analogous to the finite volume methods, namely, the local conservation of the momentum and the mass. Optimal error estimates are derived. For the numerical implementation of this finite element, a hybrid form is presented. This work is a first step towards the treatment of viscoelastic fluid flows by mixed finite element methods.     

A Posteriori Error Estimation for the Dual Mixed Finite Element Method of the Stokes Problem

The paper presents an a posteriori error estimator of residual type for the stationary Stokes problem in a possibly multiply-connected polygonal domain of the plane, using the dual mixed finite element method (FEM). We prove lower and upper error bounds with the explicit dependence of the viscosity parameter and without any regularity assumption on the solution.     

A posteriori error estimation for the dual mixed finite element method of the elasticity problem in a polygonal domain

In this article, we propose a residual based reliable and efficient error estimator for the new dual mixed finite element method of the elasticity problem in a polygonal domain, introduced by M. Farhloul and M. Fortin. With the help of a specific generalized Helmholtz decomposition of the error on the strain tensor and the classical decomposition of the error on the gradient of the displacements, we show that our global error estimator is reliable. Efficiency of our estimator follows by using classical inverse estimates. The lower and upper error bounds obtained are uniform with respect to the Lamé coefficient λ, in particular avoiding locking phenomena. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2005.     

A mixed finite element method for a nonlinear Dirichlet problem

We study a mixed finite element approximation of a nonlinearDirichlet problem in both two and three dimensions. This studyis a first step towards the treatment of Ladyzhenskaya flowsor quasi-Newtonian flows obeying the power law by mixed finiteelement methods. We give existence and uniqueness results forthe continuous problem and its approximation and we prove anerror bound.     

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.     

A mixed finite element method for the Stokes equations

A new mixed finite element for the Stokes equations is considered. This new finite element is based on a mixed formulation of the Stokes problem in which the gradient of the velocity is introduced and the velocity is approximated by the Raviart-Thomas element [1]. Optimal error estimates are derived. The number of degrees of freedom, for this element, is the lowest possible, and the local conservation of the mass is assured. A hybrid version of the mixed method is also considered. Finally, some numerical results for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are presented. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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