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Level Set Equation (level + set_equation)

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Engineering100%

Selected Abstracts

A finite element-based level set method for structural optimization

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2010
Xianghua Xing
Abstract A finite element-based level set method is implemented for structural optimization. The streamline diffusion finite element method is used for solving both the level set equation and the reinitialization equation. The lumped scheme is addressed and the accuracy is compared with the conventional finite difference-based level set method. A Dirichlet boundary condition is enforced during the reinitialization to prevent the boundary from drifting. Numerical examples of minimum mean compliance design illustrate the reliability of the proposed optimization method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

ODDLS: A new unstructured mesh finite element method for the analysis of free surface flow problems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2008
Julio Garcia-Espinosa
Abstract This paper introduces a new stabilized finite element method based on the finite calculus (Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 1998; 151:233,267) and arbitrary Lagrangian,Eulerian techniques (Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 1998; 155:235,249) for the solution to free surface problems. The main innovation of this method is the application of an overlapping domain decomposition concept in the statement of the problem. The aim is to increase the accuracy in the capture of the free surface as well as in the resolution of the governing equations in the interface between the two fluids. Free surface capturing is based on the solution to a level set equation. The Navier,Stokes equations are solved using an iterative monolithic predictor,corrector algorithm (Encyclopedia of Computational Mechanics. Wiley: New York, 2004), where the correction step is based on imposing the divergence-free condition in the velocity field by means of the solution to a scalar equation for the pressure. Examples of application of the ODDLS formulation (for overlapping domain decomposition level set) to the analysis of different free surface flow problems are presented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

An assumed-gradient finite element method for the level set equation

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 8 2005
Hashem M. Mourad
Abstract The level set equation is a non-linear advection equation, and standard finite-element and finite-difference strategies typically employ spatial stabilization techniques to suppress spurious oscillations in the numerical solution. We recast the level set equation in a simpler form by assuming that the level set function remains a signed distance to the front/interface being captured. As with the original level set equation, the use of an extensional velocity helps maintain this signed-distance function. For some interface-evolution problems, this approach reduces the original level set equation to an ordinary differential equation that is almost trivial to solve. Further, we find that sufficient accuracy is available through a standard Galerkin formulation without any stabilization or discontinuity-capturing terms. Several numerical experiments are conducted to assess the ability of the proposed assumed-gradient level set method to capture the correct solution, particularly in the presence of discontinuities in the extensional velocity or level-set gradient. We examine the convergence properties of the method and its performance in problems where the simplified level set equation takes the form of a Hamilton,Jacobi equation with convex/non-convex Hamiltonian. Importantly, discretizations based on structured and unstructured finite-element meshes of bilinear quadrilateral and linear triangular elements are shown to perform equally well. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A level set characteristic Galerkin finite element method for free surface flows

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 5 2005
Ching-Long Lin
Abstract This paper presents a numerical method for free surface flows that couples the incompressible Navier,Stokes equations with the level set method in the finite element framework. The implicit characteristic-Galerkin approximation together with the fractional four-step algorithm is employed to discretize the governing equations. The schemes for solving the level set evolution and reinitialization equations are verified with several benchmark cases, including stationary circle, rotation of a slotted disk and stretching of a circular fluid element. The results are compared with those calculated from the level set finite volume method of Yue et al. (Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids 2003; 42:853,884), which employed the third-order essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) schemes for advection of the level set function in a generalized curvilinear coordinate system. The comparison indicates that the characteristic Galerkin approximation of the level set equations yields more accurate solutions. The second-order accuracy of the Navier,Stokes solver is confirmed by simulation of decay vortex. The coupled system of the Navier,Stokes and level set equations then is validated by solitary wave and broken dam problems. The simulation results are in excellent agreement with experimental data. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]