arXiv subjects

Andrea Mola

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Mola.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Constraint-driven Optimization and Parametrization of Industrial NURBS Geometries via Neural Deformation Field

This work presents a differentiable framework for the parametrization and shape optimization of industrial CAD geometries represented by multi-patch NURBS surfaces. The method enables the deformation of complex CAD models through a physics-informed geometric parametrization, allowing direct morphing driven by physical constraints without the need to prescribe a predefined deformation strategy. A neural displacement field, implemented as a multi-layer perceptron acting on the NURBS control points, provides a compact parametrization of the admissible design space while preserving patch connectivity. Global geometric quantities relevant to hydrostatic design, including displaced volume, wetted surface area and buoyancy centroid, are formulated as differentiable integral operators evaluated on the parametric domain. These quantities are computed through Gauss-Legendre quadrature combined with analytical B-spline derivatives for surface metric evaluation, allowing gradient propagation to the deformation parameters while limiting the computational overhead of automatic differentiation. The proposed framework operates directly on CAD representations without intermediate mesh generation. Numerical experiments on a modified KVLCC2 hull demonstrate the capability of the method to satisfy competing hydrostatic constraints while producing smooth CAD-compatible geometries and showing stable convergence across multiple random initializations.

math.NA↗

arXiv2026

An efficient hyper reduced-order model for segregated solvers for geometrical parametrization problems

We propose an efficient hyper-reduced order model (HROM) designed for segregated finite-volume solvers in geometrically parametrized problems. The method follows a discretize-then-project strategy: the full-order operators are first assembled using finite volume or finite element discretizations and then projected onto low-dimensional spaces using a small set of spatial sampling points, selected through hyper-reduction techniques such as DEIM. This approach removes the dependence of the online computational cost on the full mesh size. The method is assessed on three benchmark problems: a linear transport equation, a nonlinear Burgers equation, and the incompressible Navier--Stokes equations. The results show that the hyper-reduced models closely match full-order solutions while achieving substantial reductions in computational time. Since only a sparse subset of mesh cells is evaluated during the online phase, the method is naturally parallelizable and scalable to very large meshes. These findings demonstrate that hyper-reduction can be effectively combined with segregated solvers and geometric parametrization to enable fast and accurate CFD simulations.

math.NA↗

arXiv2025

A reduced-order model for segregated fluid-structure interaction solvers based on an ALE approach

This article presents a Galerkin projection-based reduced-order modelling (ROM) approach for segregated fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems, formulated within an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) framework at low Reynolds numbers using the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The ROM is constructed using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and incorporates a data-driven technique that combines classical Galerkin projection with radial basis function (RBF) networks. The results demonstrate the numerical stability and accuracy of the proposed method relative to the high-fidelity model. The ROM successfully captures transient flow fields and, importantly, the forces acting on the moving structure without exhibiting unphysical growth or divergence over time. This is further supported by the bounded evolution of error metrics and physical observables, which remain consistent with the full-order simulations throughout the prediction horizon. The method's effectiveness is validated through a benchmark vortex-induced vibration (VIV) case involving a circular cylinder at Reynolds number Re=200. The hybrid ROM approach yields an accurate and efficient tool for solving FSI problems involving mesh motion.

math.NA↗

arXiv2025

Identification problems for anisotropic time-fractional subdiffusion equations

We investigate the inverse problem consisting in the identification of constant coefficients for a fractional-in-time partial differential equation governed by a finite sum of positive self-adjoint operators on a Hilbert space under energy-type overdeterminating conditions. We prove the uniqueness of the solution to the inverse problem when the fractional order $α$ of the derivative is in $(0,1)$. A conditioned existence result is also provided, complemented with a suitable selection of numerical calculations. In addition, we prove that, as $α\to 1^{-}$, the solution corresponding to $α$ tends to the classical one ($α=1$). Applications to examples of heat diffusion and elasticity are presented.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

A geometry aware arbitrary order collocation Boundary Element Method solver for the potential flow past three dimensional lifting surfaces

This work presents a numerical model for the simulation of potential flow past three dimensional lifting surfaces. The solver is based on the collocation Boundary Element Method, combined with Galerkin variational formulation of the nonlinear Kutta condition imposed at the trailing edge. A similar Galerkin variational formulation is also used for the computation of the fluid velocity at the wake collocation points, required by the relaxation algorithm which aligns the wake with the local flow. The use of such a technique, typically associated with the Finite Element Method, allows in fact for the evaluation of the solution derivatives in a way that is independent of the local grid topology. As a result of this choice, combined with the direct interface with CAD surfaces, the solver is able to use arbitrary order Lagrangian elements on automatically refined grids. Numerical results on a rectangular wing with NACA 0012 airfoil sections are presented to compare the accuracy improvements obtained by grid spatial refinement or by discretization degree increase. Finally, numerical results on rectangular and swept wings with NACA 0012 airfoil section confirm that the model is able to reproduce experimental data with good accuracy.

math.NA↗

arXiv2024

Mathematical modelling and computational reduction of molten glass fluid flow in a furnace melting basin

In this work, we present the modelling and numerical simulation of a molten glass fluid flow in a furnace melting basin. We first derive a model for a molten glass fluid flow and present numerical simulations based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). We further discuss and validate the results obtained from the simulations by comparing them with experimental results. Finally, we also present a non-intrusive Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to efficiently handle scenarios which require multiple simulations of the fluid flow upon changing parameters of relevant industrial interest. This approach lets us obtain solutions of a complex 3D model, with good accuracy with respect to the FEM solution, yet with negligible associated computational times.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

A hybrid reduced-order model for segregated fluid-structure interaction solvers in an ALE approach at high Reynolds number

This study introduces a first step for constructing a hybrid reduced-order models (ROMs) for segregated fluid-structure interaction in an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) approach at a high Reynolds number using the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The ROM is driven by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) with hybrid techniques that combines the classical Galerkin projection and two data-driven methods (radial basis networks , and neural networks/ long short term memory). Results demonstrate the ROM ability to accurately capture the physics of fluid-structure interaction phenomena. This approach is validated through a case study focusing on flow-induced vibration (FIV) of a pitch-plunge airfoil at a high Reynolds number 10000000.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

A unified steady and unsteady formulation for hydrodynamic potential flow simulations with fully nonlinear free surface boundary conditions

This work discusses the correct modeling of the fully nonlinear free surface boundary conditions to be prescribed in water waves flow simulations based on potential flow theory. The main goal of such a discussion is that of identifying a mathematical formulation and a numerical treatment that can be used both to carry out transient simulations, and to compute steady solutions -- for any flow admitting them. In the literature on numerical towing tank in fact, steady and unsteady fully nonlinear potential flow solvers are characterized by different mathematical formulations. The kinematic and dynamic fully nonlinear free surface boundary conditions are discussed, and in particular it is proven that the kinematic free surface boundary condition, written in semi-Lagrangian form, can be manipulated to derive an alternative non penetration boundary condition by all means identical to the one used on the surface of floating bodies or on the basin bottom. The simplified mathematical problem obtained is discretized over space and time via Boundary Element Method (BEM) and Implicit Backward Difference Formula (BDF) scheme, respectively. The results confirm that the solver implemented is able to solve steady potential flow problems just by eliminating null time derivatives in the unsteady formulation. Numerical results obtained confirm that the solver implemented is able to accurately reproduce results of classical steady flow solvers available in the literature.

math.NA↗

arXiv2022

Hybrid Data-Driven Closure Strategies for Reduced Order Modeling

In this paper, we propose hybrid data-driven ROM closures for fluid flows. These new ROM closures combine two fundamentally different strategies: (i) purely data-driven ROM closures, both for the velocity and the pressure; and (ii) physically based, eddy viscosity data-driven closures, which model the energy transfer in the system. The first strategy consists in the addition of closure/correction terms to the governing equations, which are built from the available data. The second strategy includes turbulence modeling by adding eddy viscosity terms, which are determined by using machine learning techniques. The two strategies are combined for the first time in this paper to investigate a two-dimensional flow past a circular cylinder at Re=50000. Our numerical results show that the hybrid data-driven ROM is more accurate than both the purely data-driven ROM and the eddy viscosity ROM.

math.NA↗

arXiv2022

Pressure Data-Driven Variational Multiscale Reduced Order Models

In this paper, we develop data-driven closure/correction terms to increase the pressure and velocity accuracy of reduced order models (ROMs) for fluid flows. Specifically, we propose the first pressure-based data-driven variational multiscale ROM, in which we use the available data to construct closure/correction terms for both the momentum equation and the continuity equation. Our numerical investigation of the two-dimensional flow past a circular cylinder at Re=50000 in the marginally-resolved regime shows that the novel pressure data-driven variational multiscale ROM yields significantly more accurate velocity and pressure approximations than the standard ROM and, more importantly, than the original data-driven variational multiscale ROM (i.e., without pressure components). In particular, our numerical results show that adding the closure/correction term in the momentum equation significantly improves both the velocity and the pressure approximations, whereas adding the closure/correction term in the continuity equation improves only the pressure approximation.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

An efficient FV-based Virtual Boundary Method for the simulation of fluid-solid interaction

In this work, the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) with feedback forcing introduced by Goldstein et al. (1993) and often referred in the literature as the Virtual Boundary Method (VBM), is addressed. The VBM has been extensively applied both within a Spectral and a Finite Difference (FD) framework. Here, we propose to combine the VBM with a computationally efficient Finite Volume (FV) method. We will show that for similar computational configurations, FV and FD methods provide significantly different results. Furthermore, we propose to modify the standard feedback forcing scheme, based on a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller, with the introduction of a derivative action, in order to obtain a Proportial-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. The stability analysis for the Backward Differentiation Formula of order 1 (BDF1) time scheme is modified accordingly, and extended to the Backward Differentiation Formula of order 2 (BDF2) time scheme. We will show that, for the BDF2 time scheme, the derivative action allows to improve the stability characteristics of the system. Our approach is validated against numerical data available in the literature for a stationary/rigidly moving 2D circular cylinder in several configurations. Finally, a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) benchmark, related to the frequency response of a cantilever beam coupled with a fluid, is presented: we numerically demonstrate that the introduction of the derivative action plays an important role in order to properly detect the fluid-structure interaction coupling.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

Propagating geometry information to finite element computations

The traditional workflow in continuum mechanics simulations is that a geometry description -- for example obtained using Constructive Solid Geometry or Computer Aided Design tools -- forms the input for a mesh generator. The mesh is then used as the sole input for the finite element, finite volume, and finite difference solver, which at this point no longer has access to the original, "underlying" geometry. However, many modern techniques -- for example, adaptive mesh refinement and the use of higher order geometry approximation methods -- really do need information about the underlying geometry to realize their full potential. We have undertaken an exhaustive study of where typical finite element codes use geometry information, with the goal of determining what information geometry tools would have to provide. Our study shows that nearly all geometry-related needs inside the simulators can be satisfied by just two "primitives": elementary queries posed by the simulation software to the geometry description. We then show that it is possible to provide these primitives in all of the frequently used ways in which geometries are described in common industrial workflows, and illustrate our solutions using a number of examples.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

Hull shape design optimization with parameter space and model reductions, and self-learning mesh morphing

In the field of parametric partial differential equations, shape optimization represents a challenging problem due to the required computational resources. In this contribution, a data-driven framework involving multiple reduction techniques is proposed to reduce such computational burden. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and active subspace genetic algorithm (ASGA) are applied for a dimensional reduction of the original (high fidelity) model and for an efficient genetic optimization based on active subspace property. The parameterization of the shape is applied directly to the computational mesh, propagating the generic deformation map applied to the surface (of the object to optimize) to the mesh nodes using a radial basis function (RBF) interpolation. Thus, topology and quality of the original mesh are preserved, enabling application of POD-based reduced order modeling techniques, and avoiding the necessity of additional meshing steps. Model order reduction is performed coupling POD and Gaussian process regression (GPR) in a data-driven fashion. The framework is validated on a benchmark ship.

math.NA↗

arXiv2020

On the comparison of LES data-driven reduced order approaches for hydroacoustic analysis

In this work, Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) methodologies are applied to hydroacoustic dataset computed using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) coupled with Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FWH) analogy. First, a low-dimensional description of the flow fields is presented with modal decomposition analysis. Sensitivity towards the DMD and POD bases truncation rank is discussed, and extensive dataset is provided to demonstrate the ability of both algorithms to reconstruct the flow fields with all the spatial and temporal frequencies necessary to support accurate noise evaluation. Results show that while DMD is capable to capture finer coherent structures in the wake region for the same amount of employed modes, reconstructed flow fields using POD exhibit smaller magnitudes of global spatiotemporal errors compared with DMD counterparts. Second, a separate set of DMD and POD modes generated using half the snapshots is employed into two data-driven reduced models respectively, based on DMD mid cast and POD with Interpolation (PODI). In that regard, results confirm that the predictive character of both reduced approaches on the flow fields is sufficiently accurate, with a relative superiority of PODI results over DMD ones. This infers that, discrepancies induced due to interpolation errors in PODI is relatively low compared with errors induced by integration and linear regression operations in DMD, for the present setup. Finally, a post processing analysis on the evaluation of FWH acoustic signals utilizing reduced fluid dynamic fields as input demonstrates that both DMD and PODI data-driven reduced models are efficient and sufficiently accurate in predicting acoustic noises.

math.NA↗

arXiv2020

Enhancing CFD predictions in shape design problems by model and parameter space reduction

In this work we present an advanced computational pipeline for the approximation and prediction of the lift coefficient of a parametrized airfoil profile. The non-intrusive reduced order method is based on dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) and it is coupled with dynamic active subspaces (DyAS) to enhance the future state prediction of the target function and reduce the parameter space dimensionality. The pipeline is based on high-fidelity simulations carried out by the application of finite volume method for turbulent flows, and automatic mesh morphing through radial basis functions interpolation technique. The proposed pipeline is able to save 1/3 of the overall computational resources thanks to the application of DMD. Moreover exploiting DyAS and performing the regression on a lower dimensional space results in the reduction of the relative error in the approximation of the time-varying lift coefficient by a factor 2 with respect to using only the DMD.

math.NA↗

arXiv2020

Data-Driven POD-Galerkin Reduced Order Model for Turbulent Flows

In this work we present a Reduced Order Model which is specifically designed to deal with turbulent flows in a finite volume setting. The method used to build the reduced order model is based on the idea of merging/combining projection-based techniques with data-driven reduction strategies. In particular, the work presents a mixed strategy that exploits a data-driven reduction method to approximate the eddy viscosity solution manifold and a classical POD-Galerkin projection approach for the velocity and the pressure fields, respectively. The newly proposed reduced order model has been validated on benchmark test cases in both steady and unsteady settings with Reynolds up to Re=O(10^5).

math.NA↗

arXiv2019

A complete data-driven framework for the efficient solution of parametric shape design and optimisation in naval engineering problems

In the reduced order modeling (ROM) framework, the solution of a parametric partial differential equation is approximated by combining the high-fidelity solutions of the problem at hand for several properly chosen configurations. Examples of the ROM application, in the naval field, can be found in [31, 24]. Mandatory ingredient for the ROM methods is the relation between the high-fidelity solutions and the parameters. Dealing with geometrical parameters, especially in the industrial context, this relation may be unknown and not trivial (simulations over hand morphed geometries) or very complex (high number of parameters or many nested morphing techniques). To overcome these scenarios, we propose in this contribution an efficient and complete data-driven framework involving ROM techniques for shape design and optimization, extending the pipeline presented in [7]. By applying the singular value decomposition (SVD) to the points coordinates defining the hull geometry - assuming the topology is inaltered by the deformation -, we are able to compute the optimal space which the deformed geometries belong to, hence using the modal coefficients as the new parameters we can reconstruct the parametric formulation of the domain. Finally the output of interest is approximated using the proper orthogonal decomposition with interpolation technique. To conclude, we apply this framework to a naval shape design problem where the bulbous bow is morphed to reduce the total resistance of the ship advancing in calm water.

math.NA↗

arXiv2019

Efficient Reduction in Shape Parameter Space Dimension for Ship Propeller Blade Design

In this work, we present the results of a ship propeller design optimization campaign carried out in the framework of the research project PRELICA, funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional government. The main idea of this work is to operate on a multidisciplinary level to identify propeller shapes that lead to reduced tip vortex-induced pressure and increased efficiency without altering the thrust. First, a specific tool for the bottom-up construction of parameterized propeller blade geometries has been developed. The algorithm proposed operates with a user defined number of arbitrary shaped or NACA airfoil sections, and employs arbitrary degree NURBS to represent the chord, pitch, skew and rake distribution as a function of the blade radial coordinate. The control points of such curves have been modified to generate, in a fully automated way, a family of blade geometries depending on as many as 20 shape parameters. Such geometries have then been used to carry out potential flow simulations with the Boundary Element Method based software PROCAL. Given the high number of parameters considered, such a preliminary stage allowed for a fast evaluation of the performance of several hundreds of shapes. In addition, the data obtained from the potential flow simulation allowed for the application of a parameter space reduction methodology based on active subspaces (AS) property, which suggested that the main propeller performance indices are, at a first but rather accurate approximation, only depending on a single parameter which is a linear combination of all the original geometric ones. AS analysis has also been used to carry out a constrained optimization exploiting response surface method in the reduced parameter space, and a sensitivity analysis based on such surrogate model. The few selected shapes were finally used to set up high fidelity RANS simulations and select an optimal shape.

cs.CE↗