FINITE ELEMENT SOLUTION OF MULTI-SCALE TRANSPORT PROBLEMS USING THE LEAST SQUARES-BASED BUBBLE FUNCTION ENRICHMENT

摘要

This paper presents a technique for deriving least-squares-based polynomial bubble functions to enrich the standard linear finite elements, employed in the formulation of Galerkin weighted-residual statements. The element-level linear shape functions are enhanced using supplementary polynomial bubble functions with undetermined coefficients. The enhanced shape functions are inserted into the model equation and the residual functional is constructed and minimized by using the method of the least squares, resulting in an algebraic system of equations which can be solved to determine the unknown polynomial coefficients in terms of element-level nodal values. The stiffness matrices are subsequently formed with the standard finite elements assembly procedures followed by using these enriched elements which require no additional nodes to be introduced and no extra degree of freedom incurred. Furthermore, the proposed technique is tested on a number of benchmark linear transport equations where the quadratic and cubic bubble functions are derived and the numerical results are compared against the exact and standard linear element solutions. It is demonstrated that low order bubble enriched elements provide more accurate approximations for the exact analytical solutions than the standard linear elements at no extra computational cost in spite of using relatively crude meshes. On the other hand, it is observed that a satisfactory solution of the strongly convection-dominated transport problems may require element enrichment by using significantly higher order polynomial bubble functions in addition to the use of extremely fine computational meshes.