Computational Cost (computational + cost)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Engineering

Kinds of Computational Cost

  • high computational cost
  • low computational cost


  • Selected Abstracts


    Real-time locomotion control by sensing gloves

    COMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 5 2006
    Taku Komura
    Abstract Sensing gloves are often used as an input device for virtual 3D games. We propose a new method to control characters such as humans or animals in real-time by using sensing gloves. Based on existing motion data of the body, a new method to map the hand motion of the user to the locomotion of 3D characters in real-time is proposed. The method was applied to control locomotion of characters such as humans or dogs. Various motions such as trotting, running, hopping, and turning could be produced. As the computational cost needed for our method is low, the response of the system is short enough to satisfy the real-time requirements that are essential to be used for games. Using our method, users can directly control their characters intuitively and precisely than previous controlling devices such as mouse, keyboards or joysticks. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A framework for fusion methods and rendering techniques of multimodal volume data

    COMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 2 2004
    Maria Ferre
    Abstract Many different direct volume rendering methods have been developed to visualize 3D scalar fields on uniform rectilinear grids. However, little work has been done on rendering simultaneously various properties of the same 3D region measured with different registration devices or at different instants of time. The demand for this type of visualization is rapidly increasing in scientific applications such as medicine in which the visual integration of multiple modalities allows a better comprehension of the anatomy and a perception of its relationships with activity. This paper presents different strategies of direct multimodal volume rendering (DMVR). It is restricted to voxel models with a known 3D rigid alignment transformation. The paper evaluates at which steps of the rendering pipeline the data fusion must be realized in order to accomplish the desired visual integration and to provide fast re-renders when some fusion parameters are modified. In addition, it analyses how existing monomodal visualization algorithms can be extended to multiple datasets and it compares their efficiency and their computational cost. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Real-Time Temporal-Coherent Color Contrast Enhancement for Dichromats

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2010
    Gustavo M. Machado
    Abstract We present an automatic image-recoloring technique for enhancing color contrast for dichromats whose computational cost varies linearly with the number of input pixels. Our approach can be efficiently implemented on GPUs, and we show that for typical image sizes it is up to two orders of magnitude faster than the current state-of-the-art technique. Unlike previous approaches, ours preserve temporal coherence and, therefore, is suitable for video recoloring. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique by integrating it into a visualization system and showing, for the first time, real-time high-quality recolored visualizations for dichromats. [source]


    A Fast Simulation Method Using Overlapping Grids for Interactions between Smoke and Rigid Objects

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2008
    Yoshinori Dobashi
    Abstract Recently, many techniques using computational fluid dynamics have been proposed for the simulation of natural phenomena such as smoke and fire. Traditionally, a single grid is used for computing the motion of fluids. When an object interacts with a fluid, the resolution of the grid must be sufficiently high because the shape of the object is represented by a shape sampled at the grid points. This increases the number of grid points that are required, and hence the computational cost is increased. To address this problem, we propose a method using multiple grids that overlap with each other. In addition to a large single grid (a global grid) that covers the whole of the simulation space, separate grids (local grids) are generated that surround each object. The resolution of a local grid is higher than that of the global grid. The local grids move according to the motion of the objects. Therefore, the process of resampling the shape of the object is unnecessary when the object moves. To accelerate the computation, appropriate resolutions are adaptively-determined for the local grids according to their distance from the viewpoint. Furthermore, since we use regular (orthogonal) lattices for the grids, the method is suitable for GPU implementation. This realizes the real-time simulation of interactions between objects and smoke. [source]


    Adaptive Zooming in Web Cartography

    COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 4 2002
    Alesandro Cecconi
    Abstract Beyond any doubt much of the current web mapping and web GIS applications lack cartographic quality. Thereasons aren't only the technical limitations related to Internet delivery, but also the neglect of one of the maincartographic principles of digital mapping, namely adaptive zooming. Adaptive zooming describes the adjustmentof a map, its contents and the symbolization to target scale in consequence of a zooming operation. The approachdescribed in this paper proposes the combination of two commonly known concepts: on the one hand levelsof detail (LoD) for those object classes, that require high computational cost for the automated generalizationprocess (e.g. buildings, road network); on the other hand an on-the-fly generalization for those object classeswhich can be generalized by less complex methods and algorithms (e.g. rivers, lakes). Realizing such interactiveand dynamic concept for web mapping requires the use of vector based visualization tools. The data format bestmeeting the criteria is the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Thus, it has been used to implementthe presented ideas in a prototype application for topographic web mapping based on the landscape modelVECTOR25 of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography. [source]


    A parallel Broyden approach to the Toeplitz inverse eigenproblem

    CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 6 2004
    Jesús Peinado
    Abstract In this work we show a portable sequential and a portable parallel algorithm for solving the inverse eigenproblem for real symmetric Toeplitz matrices. Both algorithms are based on Broyden's method for solving nonlinear systems. We reduced the computational cost for some problem sizes, and furthermore we managed to reduce spatial cost considerably, compared in both cases with parallel algorithms proposed by other authors and by us, although sometimes quasi-Newton methods (as Broyden) do not reach convergence in all the test cases. We have implemented the parallel algorithm using the parallel numerical linear algebra library SCALAPACK based on the MPI environment. Experimental results have been obtained using two different architectures: a shared memory multiprocessor, the SGI PowerChallenge, and a cluster of Pentium II PCs connected through a myrinet network. The algorithms obtained are scalable in all the cases. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Novel coupling Rosenbrock-based algorithms for real-time dynamic substructure testing

    EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2008
    O. S. Bursi
    Abstract Real-time testing with dynamic substructuring is a novel experimental technique capable of assessing the behaviour of structures subjected to dynamic loadings including earthquakes. The technique involves recreating the dynamics of the entire structure by combining an experimental test piece consisting of part of the structure with a numerical model simulating the remainder of the structure. These substructures interact in real time to emulate the behaviour of the entire structure. Time integration is the most versatile method for analysing the general case of linear and non-linear semi-discretized equations of motion. In this paper we propose for substructure testing, L-stable real-time (LSRT) compatible integrators with two and three stages derived from the Rosenbrock methods. These algorithms are unconditionally stable for uncoupled problems and entail a moderate computational cost for real-time performance. They can also effectively deal with stiff problems, i.e. complex emulated structures for which solutions can change on a time scale that is very short compared with the interval of time integration, but where the solution of interest changes on a much longer time scale. Stability conditions of the coupled substructures are analysed by means of the zero-stability approach, and the accuracy of the novel algorithms in the coupled case is assessed in both the unforced and forced conditions. LSRT algorithms are shown to be more competitive than popular Runge,Kutta methods in terms of stability, accuracy and ease of implementation. Numerical simulations and real-time substructure tests are used to demonstrate the favourable properties of the proposed algorithms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Restoration of degraded moving image for predicting a moving object

    ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATIONS IN JAPAN, Issue 2 2009
    Kei Akiyama
    Abstract Iterative optimal calculation methods have been proposed for degraded static image restoration based on the multiresolution wavelet decomposition. However, it is quite difficult to apply these methods to process moving images due to the high computational cost. In this paper, we propose an effective restoration method for degraded moving images by modeling the motion of moving object and predicting the future object position. We verified our method by computer simulations and experiments to show that our method can achieve favorable results. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 92(2): 38,48, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10013 [source]


    Area-to-Point Prediction Under Boundary Conditions

    GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2008
    E. -H.
    This article proposes a geostatistical solution for area-to-point spatial prediction (downscaling) taking into account boundary effects. Such effects are often poorly considered in downscaling, even though they often have significant impact on the results. The geostatistical approach proposed in this article considers two types of boundary conditions (BC), that is, a Dirichlet-type condition and a Neumann-type condition, while satisfying several critical issues in downscaling: the coherence of predictions, the explicit consideration of support differences, and the assessment of uncertainty regarding the point predictions. An updating algorithm is used to reduce the computational cost of area-to-point prediction under a given BC. In a case study, area-to-point prediction under a Dirichlet-type BC and a Neumann-type BC is illustrated using simulated data, and the resulting predictions and error variances are compared with those obtained without considering such conditions. [source]


    Surface deformation due to loading of a layered elastic half-space: a rapid numerical kernel based on a circular loading element

    GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2007
    E. Pan
    SUMMARY This study is motivated by a desire to develop a fast numerical algorithm for computing the surface deformation field induced by surface pressure loading on a layered, isotropic, elastic half-space. The approach that we pursue here is based on a circular loading element. That is, an arbitrary surface pressure field applied within a finite surface domain will be represented by a large number of circular loading elements, all with the same radius, in which the applied downwards pressure (normal stress) is piecewise uniform: that is, the load within each individual circle is laterally uniform. The key practical requirement associated with this approach is that we need to be able to solve for the displacement field due to a single circular load, at very large numbers of points (or ,stations'), at very low computational cost. This elemental problem is axisymmetric, and so the displacement vector field consists of radial and vertical components both of which are functions only of the radial coordinate r. We achieve high computational speeds using a novel two-stage approach that we call the sparse evaluation and massive interpolation (SEMI) method. First, we use a high accuracy but computationally expensive method to compute the displacement vectors at a limited number of r values (called control points or knots), and then we use a variety of fast interpolation methods to determine the displacements at much larger numbers of intervening points. The accurate solutions achieved at the control points are framed in terms of cylindrical vector functions, Hankel transforms and propagator matrices. Adaptive Gauss quadrature is used to handle the oscillatory nature of the integrands in an optimal manner. To extend these exact solutions via interpolation we divide the r -axis into three zones, and employ a different interpolation algorithm in each zone. The magnitude of the errors associated with the interpolation is controlled by the number, M, of control points. For M= 54, the maximum RMS relative error associated with the SEMI method is less than 0.2 per cent, and it is possible to evaluate the displacement field at 100 000 stations about 1200 times faster than if the direct (exact) solution was evaluated at each station; for M= 99 which corresponds to a maximum RMS relative error less than 0.03 per cent, the SEMI method is about 700 times faster than the direct solution. [source]


    Dynamic non-planar crack rupture by a finite volume method

    GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2007
    M. Benjemaa
    SUMMARY Modelling dynamic rupture for complex geometrical fault structures is performed through a finite volume method. After transformations for building up the partial differential system following explicit conservative law, we design an unstructured bi-dimensional time-domain numerical formulation of the crack problem. As a result, arbitrary non-planar faults can be explicitly represented without extra computational cost. On these complex surfaces, boundary conditions are set on stress fluxes and not on stress values. Prescribed rupture velocity gives accurate solutions with respect to analytical ones depending on the mesh refinement, while solutions for spontaneous propagation are analysed through numerical means. An example of non-planar spontaneous fault growth in heterogeneous media demonstrates the good behaviour of the proposed algorithm as well as specific difficulties of such numerical modelling. [source]


    A Hybrid Finite-Difference and Analytic Element Groundwater Model

    GROUND WATER, Issue 4 2010
    H.M. Haitjema
    Regional finite-difference models tend to have large cell sizes, often on the order of 1,2 km on a side. Although the regional flow patterns in deeper formations may be adequately represented by such a model, the intricate surface water and groundwater interactions in the shallower layers are not. Several stream reaches and nearby wells may occur in a single cell, precluding any meaningful modeling of the surface water and groundwater interactions between the individual features. We propose to replace the upper MODFLOW layer or layers, in which the surface water and groundwater interactions occur, by an analytic element model (GFLOW) that does not employ a model grid; instead, it represents wells and surface waters directly by the use of point-sinks and line-sinks. For many practical cases it suffices to provide GFLOW with the vertical leakage rates calculated in the original coarse MODFLOW model in order to obtain a good representation of surface water and groundwater interactions. However, when the combined transmissivities in the deeper (MODFLOW) layers dominate, the accuracy of the GFLOW solution diminishes. For those cases, an iterative coupling procedure, whereby the leakages between the GFLOW and MODFLOW model are updated, appreciably improves the overall solution, albeit at considerable computational cost. The coupled GFLOW,MODFLOW model is applicable to relatively large areas, in many cases to the entire model domain, thus forming an attractive alternative to local grid refinement or inset models. [source]


    Analyzing brain networks with PCA and conditional Granger causality

    HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 7 2009
    Zhenyu Zhou
    Abstract Identifying directional influences in anatomical and functional circuits presents one of the greatest challenges for understanding neural computations in the brain. Granger causality mapping (GCM) derived from vector autoregressive models of data has been employed for this purpose, revealing complex temporal and spatial dynamics underlying cognitive processes. However, the traditional GCM methods are computationally expensive, as signals from thousands of voxels within selected regions of interest (ROIs) are individually processed, and being based on pairwise Granger causality, they lack the ability to distinguish direct from indirect connectivity among brain regions. In this work a new algorithm called PCA based conditional GCM is proposed to overcome these problems. The algorithm implements the following two procedures: (i) dimensionality reduction in ROIs of interest with principle component analysis (PCA), and (ii) estimation of the direct causal influences in local brain networks, using conditional Granger causality. Our results show that the proposed method achieves greater accuracy in detecting network connectivity than the commonly used pairwise Granger causality method. Furthermore, the use of PCA components in conjunction with conditional GCM greatly reduces the computational cost relative to the use of individual voxel time series. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Explicit integration of bounding surface model for the analysis of earthquake soil liquefaction

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 15 2010
    Konstantinos I. Andrianopoulos
    Abstract This paper presents a new plasticity model developed for the simulation of monotonic and cyclic loading of non-cohesive soils and its implementation to the commercial finite-difference code FLAC, using its User-Defined-Model (UDM) capability. The new model incorporates the framework of Critical State Soil Mechanics, while it relies upon bounding surface plasticity with a vanished elastic region to simulate the non-linear soil response. Stress integration of constitutive relations is performed using a recently proposed explicit scheme with automatic error control and substepping, which so far has been employed in the literature only for constitutive models aiming at monotonic loading. The overall accuracy of this scheme is evaluated at element level by simulating cyclic loading along complex stress paths and by using iso-error maps for paths involving change of the Lode angle. The performance of the new constitutive model and its stress integration scheme in complex boundary value problems involving earthquake-induced liquefaction is evaluated, in terms of accuracy and computational cost, via a number of parametric analyses inspired by the successful simulation of the VELACS centrifuge Model Test No. 2 studying the lateral spreading response of a liquefied sand layer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    FOIST: Fluid,object interaction subcomputation technique

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2009
    V. Udoewa
    Abstract Our target is to develop computational techniques for studying aerodynamic interactions between multiple objects. The computational challenge is to predict the dynamic behavior and path of the object, so that separation (the process of objects relatively falling or moving away from each other) is safe and effective. This is a very complex problem because it has an unsteady, 3D nature and requires the solution of complex equations that govern the fluid dynamics (FD) of the object and the aircraft together, with their relative positions changing in time. Large-scale 3D FD simulations require a high computational cost. Not only must one solve the time-dependent Navier,Stokes equations governing the fluid flow, but also one must handle the equations of motion of the object as well as the treatment of the moving domain usually treated as a type of pseudo-solid. These costs include mesh update methods, distortion-limiting techniques, and remeshing and projection tactics. To save computational costs, point force calculations have been performed in the past. This paper presents a hybrid between full mesh-moving simulations and the point force calculation. This mesh-moving alternative is called FOIST: fluid,object subcomputation interaction technique. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Addressing volumetric locking and instabilities by selective integration in smoothed finite elements

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2009
    Nguyen-Xuan Hung
    Abstract This paper promotes the development of a novel family of finite elements with smoothed strains, offering remarkable properties. In the smoothed finite element method (FEM), elements are divided into subcells. The strain at a point is defined as a weighted average of the standard strain field over a representative domain. This yields superconvergent stresses, both in regular and singular settings, as well as increased accuracy, with slightly lower computational cost than the standard FEM. The one-subcell version that does not exhibit volumetric locking yields more accurate stresses but less accurate displacements and is equivalent to a quasi-equilibrium FEM. It is also subject to instabilities. In the limit where the number of subcells goes to infinity, the standard FEM is recovered, which yields more accurate displacements and less accurate stresses. The specific contribution of this paper is to show that expressing the volumetric part of the strain field using a one-subcell formulation is sufficient to get rid of volumetric locking and increase the displacement accuracy compared with the standard FEM when the single subcell version is used to express both the volumetric and deviatoric parts of the strain. Selective integration also alleviates instabilities associated with the single subcell element, which are due to rank deficiency. Numerical examples on various compressible and incompressible linear elastic test cases show that high accuracy is retained compared with the standard FEM without increasing computational cost. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Validation of simplified PN models for radiative transfer in combustion systems

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2008
    E. Schneider
    Abstract This paper illustrates the use of simplified PN approximations as a tools of achieving verification of codes and simulations of radiative transfer in combustion systems. The main advantage of considering these models is the fact that the integro-differential equation for radiative transfer can be replaced by a set of differential equations which are independent of angle variable, compatible to the partial differential equations of flow and combustion, and easy to solve using standard numerical discretizations. Validation of these models is then performed by comparing predictions to measurements for a three-dimensional diffusion flame. The good agreement between measurements and predictions indicates that the simplified PN models can be used to incorporate radiation transfer in combustion systems at very low computational cost without relying on discrete ordinates or Monte Carlo methods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Energy-adjustable mechanism of the combined hybrid finite element method and improvement of Zienkiewicz's plate-element

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 10 2005
    Xiao-ping Xie
    Abstract The combined hybrid finite element method for plate bending problems allows arbitrary combinations of deflection interpolation and bending moment approximations. A novel expression of the approach discloses the energy-adjustable mechanism of the hybrid variational principle to enhance accuracy and stability of displacement-based finite element models. For a given displacement approximation, appropriate choices of the bending moment mode and the combination parameter , , (0,1) can lead to accurate energy approximation which generally yields numerically high accuracy of the displacement and bending moment approximations. By virtue of this mechanism, improvement of Zienkiewicz's triangular plate-element is discussed. The deflection is approximated by Zienkiewicz incomplete cubic interpolation. And three kinds of bending moments approximations are considered: a 3-parameter constant mode, a 5-parameter incomplete linear mode, and a 9-parameter linear mode. Since the parameters of the assumed bending moments modes can be eliminated at an element level, the computational cost of the combined hybrid counterparts of Zienkiewicz's triangle are as same as that of Zienkiewicz's triangle. Numerical experiments show that the combined hybrid versions can attain high accuracy at coarse meshes. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    An accurate hybrid macro-element with linear displacements

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2005
    Xiao-Ping Xie
    Abstract A hybrid stress quadrilateral macro-element HQM is proposed. Compatible linear displacements are used on its two triangular sub-domains, and a 5-parameter incomplete linear stress mode is suggested. Equivalence to another quadrilateral element HQ4 with compatible isoparametric bilinear displacements is proven. Due to elimination of stress parameters at the element level, the computational cost of HQM/HQ4 is as same as that of Q4. Numerical tests show that the element is accurate, insensitive to mesh distortions, and free from Poisson locking. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Groundwater parameter estimation via the unsteady adjoint variable formulation of discrete sensitivity analysis

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2002
    C. O. E. Burg
    Abstract Discrete sensitivity analysis (DSA) is a method that efficiently estimates the derivatives of a numerically approximated objective function with respect to a set of parameters at a fraction of the cost of using finite differences. Coupled with an optimization algorithm, this method can be used to locate the optimal set of parameters for the objective function. The time dependent adjoint variable formulation of discrete sensitivity analysis is derived and applied to a time-dependent, two-dimensional groundwater code. The derivatives agreed with finite difference derivatives to between 6 and 8 significant digits, at approximately , the computational cost. Using the BFGS optimization algorithm to update the parameters, the parameter estimation technique successfully identified the target values, for problems with small number of parameters. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Simple and efficient integration of rigid rotations suitable for constraint solvers

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2010
    Tomasz Koziara
    Abstract Simple and efficient way of integrating rigid rotations is presented. The algorithm is stable, second-order accurate, and in its explicit version involves evaluation of only two exponential maps per time step. The semi-explicit version of the proposed scheme improves upon the long-term stability, while it retains the explicitness in the force evaluation. The algebraic structure of both schemes makes them suitable forthe analysis of constrained multi-body systems. The explicit algorithm is specifically aimed at the analysis involving small incremental rotations, where its modest computational cost becomes the major advantage. The semi-explicit scheme naturally broadens the scope of possible applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Modeling three-dimensional crack propagation,A comparison of crack path tracking strategies

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2008
    P. Jäger
    Abstract The development of a new finite element technique for the simulation of discontinuous failure phenomena in three dimensions is the key objective of this study. In contrast to the widely used extended finite element technique, we apply a purely deformation-based strategy based on an independent interpolation of the deformation field on both sides of the discontinuity. This method has been applied successfully for two-dimensional crack propagation problems in the past. However, when it comes to three-dimensional failure phenomena, it faces the same difficulties as the extended finite element method. Unlike in two dimensions, the characterization for the three-dimensional failure surface is non-unique and the tracking of the discrete crack can be performed in several conceptually different ways. In this work, we review the four most common three-dimensional crack tracking strategies. We perform a systematic comparison in terms of standard algorithmic quality measures such as mesh independency, efficiency, robustness, stability and computational cost. Moreover, we discuss more specific issues such as crack path continuity and integratability in commercial finite element packages. The features of the suggested crack tracking algorithms will be elaborated by means of characteristic benchmark problems in failure analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Smooth finite element methods: Convergence, accuracy and properties

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2008
    Hung Nguyen-Xuan
    Abstract A stabilized conforming nodal integration finite element method based on strain smoothing stabilization is presented. The integration of the stiffness matrix is performed on the boundaries of the finite elements. A rigorous variational framework based on the Hu,Washizu assumed strain variational form is developed. We prove that solutions yielded by the proposed method are in a space bounded by the standard, finite element solution (infinite number of subcells) and a quasi-equilibrium finite element solution (a single subcell). We show elsewhere the equivalence of the one-subcell element with a quasi-equilibrium finite element, leading to a global a posteriori error estimate. We apply the method to compressible and incompressible linear elasticity problems. The method can always achieve higher accuracy and convergence rates than the standard finite element method, especially in the presence of incompressibility, singularities or distorted meshes, for a slightly smaller computational cost. It is shown numerically that the one-cell smoothed four-noded quadrilateral finite element has a convergence rate of 2.0 in the energy norm for problems with smooth solutions, which is remarkable. For problems with rough solutions, this element always converges faster than the standard finite element and is free of volumetric locking without any modification of integration scheme. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A cut-cell non-conforming Cartesian mesh method for compressible and incompressible flow

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 11 2007
    J. Pattinson
    Abstract This paper details a multigrid-accelerated cut-cell non-conforming Cartesian mesh methodology for the modelling of inviscid compressible and incompressible flow. This is done via a single equation set that describes sub-, trans-, and supersonic flows. Cut-cell technology is developed to furnish body-fitted meshes with an overlapping mesh as starting point, and in a manner which is insensitive to surface definition inconsistencies. Spatial discretization is effected via an edge-based vertex-centred finite volume method. An alternative dual-mesh construction strategy, similar to the cell-centred method, is developed. Incompressibility is dealt with via an artificial compressibility algorithm, and stabilization achieved with artificial dissipation. In compressible flow, shocks are captured via pressure switch-activated upwinding. The solution process is accelerated with full approximation storage (FAS) multigrid where coarse meshes are generated automatically via a volume agglomeration methodology. This is the first time that the proposed discretization and solution methods are employed to solve a single compressible,incompressible equation set on cut-cell Cartesian meshes. The developed technology is validated by numerical experiments. The standard discretization and alternative methods were found equivalent in accuracy and computational cost. The multigrid implementation achieved decreases in CPU time of up to one order of magnitude. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Hydroelastic vibrations of flexible rectangular tanks partially filled with liquid

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2007
    Ding Zhou
    Abstract In this paper, the three-dimensional vibratory characteristics of flexible rectangular tanks partially filled with liquid are studied. The surface waves of the liquid are taken into account in the analysis. Both the bulging modes of the tank-wall vibration and the sloshing modes of the liquid oscillation are investigated. The vibrating modes of the liquid,tank system are divided into four distinct categories: double symmetric modes (SS); antisymmetric,symmetric modes (AS); symmetric,antisymmetric modes (SA) and double antisymmetric modes (AA). Each of these categories is separately investigated. The velocity potential of the liquid is analytically deduced by using a combination of the superposition method and the method of separation of variables. According to the liquid,tank interface conditions and the orthogonality of trigonometric functions, the coefficients in the solution of liquid velocity potential are expressed in the integral forms including the tank,wall dynamic deflection. A set of reasonable static beam functions is constructed as the admissible functions of the tank-wall vibration. The eigenfrequency equation of the liquid,tank system is derived by using a combination of the Rayleigh,Ritz method and the Galerkin method. Convergence study demonstrates the high accuracy and small computational cost of the proposed approach. Finally, some numerical results are presented for the first time. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A unified formulation for continuum mechanics applied to fluid,structure interaction in flexible tubes

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 12 2005
    C. J. Greenshields
    Abstract This paper outlines the development of a new procedure for analysing continuum mechanics problems with a particular focus on fluid,structure interaction in flexible tubes. A review of current methods of fluid,structure coupling highlights common limitations of high computational cost and solution instability. It is proposed that these limitations can be overcome by an alternative approach in which both fluid and solid components are solved within a single discretized continuum domain. A single system of momentum and continuity equations is therefore derived that governs both fluids and solids and which are solved with a single mesh using finite volume discretization schemes. The method is validated first by simulating dynamic oscillation of a clamped elastic beam. It is then applied to study the case of interest,wave propagation in highly flexible tubes,in which a predicted wave speed of 8.58 m/s falls within 2% of an approximate analytical solution. The method shows further good agreement with analytical solutions for tubes of increasing rigidity, covering a range of wave speeds from those found in arteries to that in the undisturbed fluid. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Adaptive moving mesh methods for simulating one-dimensional groundwater problems with sharp moving fronts

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 11 2002
    Weizhang Huang
    Abstract Accurate modelling of groundwater flow and transport with sharp moving fronts often involves high computational cost, when a fixed/uniform mesh is used. In this paper, we investigate the modelling of groundwater problems using a particular adaptive mesh method called the moving mesh partial differential equation approach. With this approach, the mesh is dynamically relocated through a partial differential equation to capture the evolving sharp fronts with a relatively small number of grid points. The mesh movement and physical system modelling are realized by solving the mesh movement and physical partial differential equations alternately. The method is applied to the modelling of a range of groundwater problems, including advection dominated chemical transport and reaction, non-linear infiltration in soil, and the coupling of density dependent flow and transport. Numerical results demonstrate that sharp moving fronts can be accurately and efficiently captured by the moving mesh approach. Also addressed are important implementation strategies, e.g. the construction of the monitor function based on the interpolation error, control of mesh concentration, and two-layer mesh movement. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Coupled Navier,Stokes,Molecular dynamics simulations using a multi-physics flow simulation framework

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 10 2010
    R. Steijl
    Abstract Simulation of nano-scale channel flows using a coupled Navier,Stokes/Molecular Dynamics (MD) method is presented. The flow cases serve as examples of the application of a multi-physics computational framework put forward in this work. The framework employs a set of (partially) overlapping sub-domains in which different levels of physical modelling are used to describe the flow. This way, numerical simulations based on the Navier,Stokes equations can be extended to flows in which the continuum and/or Newtonian flow assumptions break down in regions of the domain, by locally increasing the level of detail in the model. Then, the use of multiple levels of physical modelling can reduce the overall computational cost for a given level of fidelity. The present work describes the structure of a parallel computational framework for such simulations, including details of a Navier,Stokes/MD coupling, the convergence behaviour of coupled simulations as well as the parallel implementation. For the cases considered here, micro-scale MD problems are constructed to provide viscous stresses for the Navier,Stokes equations. The first problem is the planar Poiseuille flow, for which the viscous fluxes on each cell face in the finite-volume discretization are evaluated using MD. The second example deals with fully developed three-dimensional channel flow, with molecular level modelling of the shear stresses in a group of cells in the domain corners. An important aspect in using shear stresses evaluated with MD in Navier,Stokes simulations is the scatter in the data due to the sampling of a finite ensemble over a limited interval. In the coupled simulations, this prevents the convergence of the system in terms of the reduction of the norm of the residual vector of the finite-volume discretization of the macro-domain. Solutions to this problem are discussed in the present work, along with an analysis of the effect of number of realizations and sample duration. The averaging of the apparent viscosity for each cell face, i.e. the ratio of the shear stress predicted from MD and the imposed velocity gradient, over a number of macro-scale time steps is shown to be a simple but effective method to reach a good level of convergence of the coupled system. Finally, the parallel efficiency of the developed method is demonstrated. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Multi-objective turbomachinery optimization using a gradient-enhanced multi-layer perceptron

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 6 2009
    M. C. Duta
    Abstract Response surface models (RSMs) have found widespread use to reduce the overall computational cost of turbomachinery blading design optimization. Recent developments have seen the successful use of gradient information alongside sampled response values in building accurate response surfaces. This paper describes the use of gradients to enhance the performance of the RSM provided by a multi-layer perceptron. Gradient information is included in the perceptron by modifying the error function such that the perceptron is trained to fit the gradients as well as the response values. As a consequence, the back-propagation scheme that assists the training is also changed. The paper formulates the gradient-enhanced multi-layer perceptron using algebraic notation, with an emphasis on the ease of use and efficiency of computer code implementation. To illustrate the benefit of using gradient information, the enhanced neural network model is used in a multi-objective transonic fan blade optimization exercise of engineering relevance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A spectral projection method for the analysis of autocorrelation functions and projection errors in discrete particle simulation

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 7 2008
    André Kaufmann
    Abstract Discrete particle simulation is a well-established tool for the simulation of particles and droplets suspended in turbulent flows of academic and industrial applications. The study of some properties such as the preferential concentration of inertial particles in regions of high shear and low vorticity requires the computation of autocorrelation functions. This can be a tedious task as the discrete point particles need to be projected in some manner to obtain the continuous autocorrelation functions. Projection of particle properties on to a computational grid, for instance, the grid of the carrier phase, is furthermore an issue when quantities such as particle concentrations are to be computed or source terms between the carrier phase and the particles are exchanged. The errors committed by commonly used projection methods are often unknown and are difficult to analyse. Grid and sampling size limit the possibilities in terms of precision per computational cost. Here, we present a spectral projection method that is not affected by sampling issues and addresses all of the above issues. The technique is only limited by computational resources and is easy to parallelize. The only visible drawback is the limitation to simple geometries and therefore limited to academic applications. The spectral projection method consists of a discrete Fourier-transform of the particle locations. The Fourier-transformed particle number density and momentum fields can then be used to compute the autocorrelation functions and the continuous physical space fields for the evaluation of the projection methods error. The number of Fourier components used to discretize the projector kernel can be chosen such that the corresponding characteristic length scale is as small as needed. This allows to study the phenomena of particle motion, for example, in a region of preferential concentration that may be smaller than the cell size of the carrier phase grid. The precision of the spectral projection method depends, therefore, only on the number of Fourier modes considered. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]