Enriched two dimensional mixed finite element models for linear elasticity with weak stress symmetry

摘要

The purpose of this article is to derive and analyze new discrete mixed approximations for linear elasticity problems with weak stress symmetry. These approximations are based on the application of enriched versions of classic Poisson-compatible spaces, for stress and displacement variables, and/or on enriched Stokes-compatible space configurations, for the choice of rotation spaces used to weakly enforce stress symmetry. Accordingly, the stress space has to be adapted to ensure stability. Such enrichment procedures are done via space increments with extra bubble functions, which have their support on a single element (in the case of H-1-conforming approximations) or with vanishing normal components over element edges (in the case of H(div)-conforming spaces). The advantage of using bubbles as stabilization corrections relies on the fact that all extra degrees of freedom can be condensed, in a way that the number of equations to be solved and the matrix structure are not affected. Enhanced approximations are observed when using the resulting enriched space configurations, which may have different orders of accuracy for the different variables. A general error analysis is derived in order to identify the contribution of each kind of bubble increment on the accuracy of the variables, individually. The use of enriched Poisson spaces improves the rates of convergence of stress divergence and displacement variables. Stokes enhancement by bubbles contributes to equilibrate the accuracy of weak stress symmetry enforcement with the stress approximation order, reaching the maximum rate given by the normal traces (which are not affected). (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.