arXiv subjects

Garth N. Wells

Publications and source records attributed to Garth N. Wells.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Analysis of block-preconditioners for models of coupled magma/mantle dynamics

This article considers the iterative solution of a finite element discretisation of the magma dynamics equations. In simplified form, the magma dynamics equations share some features of the Stokes equations. We therefore formulate, analyse and numerically test a Elman, Silvester and Wathen-type block preconditioner for magma dynamics. We prove analytically and demonstrate numerically the optimality of the preconditioner. The presented analysis highlights the dependence of the preconditioner on parameters in the magma dynamics equations that can affect convergence of iterative linear solvers. The analysis is verified through a range of two- and three-dimensional numerical examples on unstructured grids, from simple illustrative problems through to large problems on subduction zone-like geometries. The computer code to reproduce all numerical examples is freely available as supporting material.

math.NA↗

arXiv2013

Unified Form Language: A domain-specific language for weak formulations of partial differential equations

We present the Unified Form Language (UFL), which is a domain-specific language for representing weak formulations of partial differential equations with a view to numerical approximation. Features of UFL include support for variational forms and functionals, automatic differentiation of forms and expressions, arbitrary function space hierarchies for multi-field problems, general differential operators and flexible tensor algebra. With these features, UFL has been used to effortlessly express finite element methods for complex systems of partial differential equations in near-mathematical notation, resulting in compact, intuitive and readable programs. We present in this work the language and its construction. An implementation of UFL is freely available as an open-source software library. The library generates abstract syntax tree representations of variational problems, which are used by other software libraries to generate concrete low-level implementations. Some application examples are presented and libraries that support UFL are highlighted.

cs.MS↗

arXiv2012

Energy stable and momentum conserving hybrid finite element method for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

A hybrid method for the incompressible Navier--Stokes equations is presented. The method inherits the attractive stabilizing mechanism of upwinded discontinuous Galerkin methods when momentum advection becomes significant, equal-order interpolations can be used for the velocity and pressure fields, and mass can be conserved locally. Using continuous Lagrange multiplier spaces to enforce flux continuity across cell facets, the number of global degrees of freedom is the same as for a continuous Galerkin method on the same mesh. Different from our earlier investigations on the approach for the Navier--Stokes equations, the pressure field in this work is discontinuous across cell boundaries. It is shown that this leads to very good local mass conservation and, for an appropriate choice of finite element spaces, momentum conservation. Also, a new form of the momentum transport terms for the method is constructed such that global energy stability is guaranteed, even in the absence of a point-wise solenoidal velocity field. Mass conservation, momentum conservation and global energy stability are proved for the time-continuous case, and for a fully discrete scheme. The presented analysis results are supported by a range of numerical simulations.

cs.CE↗

arXiv2011

Optimal control with stochastic PDE constraints and uncertain controls

The optimal control of problems that are constrained by partial differential equations with uncertainties and with uncertain controls is addressed. The Lagrangian that defines the problem is postulated in terms of stochastic functions, with the control function possibly decomposed into an unknown deterministic component and a known zero-mean stochastic component. The extra freedom provided by the stochastic dimension in defining cost functionals is explored, demonstrating the scope for controlling statistical aspects of the system response. One-shot stochastic finite element methods are used to find approximate solutions to control problems. It is shown that applying the stochastic collocation finite element to the formulated problem leads to a coupling between stochastic collocation points when a deterministic optimal control is considered or when moments are included in the cost functional, thereby obviating the primary advantage of the collocation method over the stochastic Galerkin method for the considered problem. The application of the presented methods is demonstrated through a number of numerical examples. The presented framework is sufficiently general to also consider a class of inverse problems, and numerical examples of this type are also presented.

math.OC↗

arXiv2011

Phase field model for coupled displacive and diffusive microstructural processes under thermal loading

A non-isothermal phase field model that captures both displacive and diffusive phase transformations in a unified framework is presented. The model is developed in a formal thermodynamic setting, which provides guidance on admissible constitutive relationships and on the coupling of the numerous physical processes that are active. Phase changes are driven by temperature-dependent free-energy functions that become non-convex below a transition temperature. Higher-order spatial gradients are present in the model to account for phase boundary energy, and these terms necessitate the introduction of non-standard terms in the energy balance equation in order to satisfy the classical entropy inequality point-wise. To solve the resulting balance equations, a Galerkin finite element scheme is elaborated. To deal rigorously with the presence of high-order spatial derivatives associated with surface energies at phase boundaries in both the momentum and mass balance equations, some novel numerical approaches are used. Numerical examples are presented that consider boundary cooling of a domain at different rates, and these results demonstrate that the model can qualitatively reproduce the evolution of microstructural features that are observed in some alloys, especially steels. The proposed model opens a number of interesting possibilities for simulating and controlling microstructure pattern development under combinations of thermal and mechanical loading.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Automated code generation for discontinuous Galerkin methods

A compiler approach for generating low-level computer code from high-level input for discontinuous Galerkin finite element forms is presented. The input language mirrors conventional mathematical notation, and the compiler generates efficient code in a standard programming language. This facilitates the rapid generation of efficient code for general equations in varying spatial dimensions. Key concepts underlying the compiler approach and the automated generation of computer code are elaborated. The approach is demonstrated for a range of common problems, including the Poisson, biharmonic, advection--diffusion and Stokes equations.

cs.MS↗

arXiv2011

Optimisations for quadrature representations of finite element tensors through automated code generation

We examine aspects of the computation of finite element matrices and vectors which are made possible by automated code generation. Given a variational form in a syntax which resembles standard mathematical notation, the low-level computer code for building finite element tensors, typically matrices, vectors and scalars, can be generated automatically via a form compiler. In particular, the generation of code for computing finite element matrices using a quadrature approach is addressed. For quadrature representations, a number of optimisation strategies which are made possible by automated code generation are presented. The relative performance of two different automatically generated representations of finite element matrices is examined, with a particular emphasis on complicated variational forms. It is shown that approaches which perform best for simple forms are not tractable for more complicated problems in terms of run time performance, the time required to generate the code or the size of the generated code. The approach and optimisations elaborated here are effective for a range of variational forms.

cs.MS↗

arXiv2011

A FEniCS-Based Programming Framework for Modeling Turbulent Flow by the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations

Finding an appropriate turbulence model for a given flow case usually calls for extensive experimentation with both models and numerical solution methods. This work presents the design and implementation of a flexible, programmable software framework for assisting with numerical experiments in computational turbulence. The framework targets Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes models, discretized by finite element methods. The novel implementation makes use of Python and the FEniCS package, the combination of which leads to compact and reusable code, where model- and solver-specific code resemble closely the mathematical formulation of equations and algorithms. The presented ideas and programming techniques are also applicable to other fields that involve systems of nonlinear partial differential equations. We demonstrate the framework in two applications and investigate the impact of various linearizations on the convergence properties of nonlinear solvers for a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model.

cs.CE↗

arXiv2011

Analysis of an interface stabilised finite element method: The advection-diffusion-reaction equation

Analysis of an interface stabilised finite element method for the scalar advection-diffusion-reaction equation is presented. The method inherits attractive properties of both continuous and discontinuous Galerkin methods, namely the same number of global degrees of freedom as a continuous Galerkin method on a given mesh and the stability properties of discontinuous Galerkin methods for advection dominated problems. Simulations using the approach in other works demonstrated good stability properties with minimal numerical dissipation, and standard convergence rates for the lowest order elements were observed. In this work, stability of the formulation, in the form of an inf-sup condition for the hyperbolic limit and coercivity for the elliptic case, is proved, as is order $k+1/2$ order convergence for the advection-dominated case and order $k+1$ convergence for the diffusive limit in the $L^{2}$ norm. The analysis results are supported by a number of numerical experiments.

math.NA↗

arXiv2011

DOLFIN: Automated Finite Element Computing

We describe here a library aimed at automating the solution of partial differential equations using the finite element method. By employing novel techniques for automated code generation, the library combines a high level of expressiveness with efficient computation. Finite element variational forms may be expressed in near mathematical notation, from which low-level code is automatically generated, compiled and seamlessly integrated with efficient implementations of computational meshes and high-performance linear algebra. Easy-to-use object-oriented interfaces to the library are provided in the form of a C++ library and a Python module. This paper discusses the mathematical abstractions and methods used in the design of the library and its implementation. A number of examples are presented to demonstrate the use of the library in application code.

cs.MS↗