| Abstract: | Recently, some new multilevel preconditioners for solving elliptic finite element discretizations by iterative methods have been proposed. They are based on appropriate splittings of the finite element spaces under consideration, and may be analyzed within the framework of additive Schwarz schemes. In this paper we discuss some multilevel methods for discretizations of the fourth-order biharmonic problem by rectangular elements and derive optimal estimates for the condition numbers of the preconditioned linear systems. For the Bogner–Fox–Schmit rectangle, the generalization of the Bramble–Pasciak–Xu method is discussed. As a byproduct, an optimal multilevel preconditioner for nonconforming discretizations by Adini elements is also derived. |
