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In this paper we describe a methodology for the identification of symmetric quadrature rules inside of quadrilaterals, triangles, tetrahedra, prisms, pyramids, and hexahedra. The methodology is free from manual intervention and is capable of identifying an ensemble of rules with a given strength and a given number of points. We also present polyquad which is an implementation of our methodology. Using polyquad we proceed to derive a complete set of symmetric rules on the aforementioned domains. All rules possess purely positive weights and have all points inside the domain. Many of the rules appear to be new, and an improvement over those tabulated in the literature.

We develop a high order cut finite element method for the Stokes problem based on general inf-sup stable finite element spaces. We focus in particular on composite meshes consisting of one mesh that overlaps another. The method is based on a Nitsche formulation of the interface condition together with a stabilization term. Starting from inf-sup stable spaces on the two meshes, we prove that the resulting composite method is indeed inf-sup stable and as a consequence optimal \emph{a~priori} error estimates hold.

A coupled finite element (FE) method and meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method for analyzing two-dimensional potential problems is presented in this paper. The analysis domain is subdivided into two regions, a finite element (FE) region and a meshless (MM) region. A single weighted residual form is written for the entire domain. Independent trial and test functions are assumed in the FE and MM regions. A transition region is created between the two regions. The transition region blends the trial and test functions of the FE and MM regions. The trial function blending is achieved using a technique similar to the 'Coons patch' method that is widely used in computer-aided geometric design. The test function blending is achieved by using either FE or MM test functions on the nodes in the transition element. The technique was evaluated by applying the coupled method to two potential problems governed by the Poisson equation. The coupled method passed all the patch test problems and gave accurate solutions for the problems studied.

A coupled finite element (FE) method and meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method for analyzing two-dimensional potential problems is presented in this paper. The analysis domain is subdivided into two regions, a finite element (FE) region and a meshless (MM) region. A single weighted residual form is written for the entire domain. Independent trial and test functions are assumed in the FE and MM regions. A transition region is created between the two regions. The transition region blends the trial and test functions of the FE and MM regions. The trial function blending is achieved using a technique similar to the 'Coons patch' method that is widely used in computer-aided geometric design. The test function blending is achieved by using either FE or MM test functions on the nodes in the transition element. The technique was evaluated by applying the coupled method to two potential problems governed by the Poisson equation. The coupled method passed all the patch test problems and gave accurate solutions for the problems studied.

A coupled finite element (FE) method and meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method for analyzing two-dimensional potential problems is presented in this paper. The analysis domain is subdivided into two regions, a finite element (FE) region and a meshless (MM) region. A single weighted residual form is written for the entire domain. Independent trial and test functions are assumed in the FE and MM regions. A transition region is created between the two regions. The transition region blends the trial and test functions of the FE and MM regions. The trial function blending is achieved using a technique similar to the 'Coons patch' method that is widely used in computer-aided geometric design. The test function blending is achieved by using either FE or MM test functions on the nodes in the transition element. The technique was evaluated by applying the coupled method to two potential problems governed by the Poisson equation. The coupled method passed all the patch test problems and gave accurate solutions for the problems studied.

Over the past few years finite element based procedures for the solution of high speed viscous compressible flows were developed. The objective of this research is to build upon the finite element concepts which have already been demonstrated and to develop these ideas to produce a method which is applicable to the solution of large scale practical problems. The problems of interest range from three dimensional full vehicle Euler simulations to local analysis of three-dimensional viscous laminar flow. Transient Euler flow simulations involving moving bodies are also to be included. An important feature of the research is to be the coupling of the flow solution methods with thermal/structural modeling techniques to provide an integrated fluid/thermal/structural modeling capability. The progress made towards achieving these goals during the first twelve month period of the research is presented.

Analytical and experimental validation of methods to predict structural vibration and radiated noise are presented. A rectangular box excited by a mechanical shaker was used as a vibrating structure. Combined finite element method (FEM) and boundary element method (BEM) models of the apparatus were used to predict the noise radiated from the box. The FEM was used to predict the vibration, and the surface vibration was used as input to the BEM to predict the sound intensity and sound power. Vibration predicted by the FEM model was validated by experimental modal analysis. Noise predicted by the BEM was validated by sound intensity measurements. Three types of results are presented for the total radiated sound power: (1) sound power predicted by the BEM modeling using vibration data measured on the surface of the box; (2) sound power predicted by the FEM/BEM model; and (3) sound power measured by a sound intensity scan. The sound power predicted from the BEM model using measured vibration data yields an excellent prediction of radiated noise. The sound power predicted by the combined FEM/BEM model also gives a good prediction of radiated noise except for a shift of the natural frequencies that are due to limitations in the FEM model.

In-Situ Resource Utilization will be Ground Breaking technology for sustained exploration of space. Volatiles are present in planetary regolith, but water by far has the most potential for effective utilization. The presence of water at the lunar poles and Mars opens the possibility of using the hydrogen for propellant on missions beyond Earth orbit. Likewise, the oxygen could be used for in-space propulsion for lunar ascent/descent and for space tugs from low lunar orbit to low Earth orbit. Water is also an effective radiation shielding material as well as a valuable expendable (water and oxygen) required for habitation in space. Because of the strong function of water vapor pressure with temperature, heating regolith effectively liberates water vapor by sublimation. Microwave energy will penetrate soil and heat from within, much more efficiently than heating from the surface with radiant heat. This is especially true under vacuum conditions since the heat transfer rate is very low. The depth of microwave penetration is a strong function of the microwave frequency and to a lesser extent on regolith dielectric properties. New methods for delivery of microwaves into lunar and planetary surfaces is being prototyped with laboratory experiments and modeled with COMSOL MultiPhysics. Recent results are discussed.

The aim of the paper is to introduce a new systematic method that can produce lower bounds for eigenvalues. The main idea is to use nonconforming finite element methods. The general conclusion herein is that if local approximation properties of nonconforming finite element spaces $V_h$ are better than global continuity properties of $V_h$, corresponding methods will produce lower bounds for eigenvalues. More precisely, under three conditions on continuity and approximation properties of nonconforming finite element spaces we first show abstract error estimates of approximate eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Subsequently, we propose one more condition and prove that it is sufficient to guarantee nonconforming finite element methods to produce lower bounds for eigenvalues of symmetric elliptic operators. As one application, we show that this condition hold for most nonconforming elements in literature. As another important application, this condition provides a guidance to modify known nonconforming elements in literature and to propose new nonconforming elements. In fact, we enrich locally the Crouzeix-Raviart element such that the new element satisfies the condition; we propose a new nonconforming element for second order elliptic operators and prove that it will yield lower bounds for eigenvalues. Finally, we prove the saturation condition for most nonconforming elements.

We study random eigenvalue problems in the context of spectral stochastic finite elements. In particular, given a parameter-dependent, symmetric positive-definite matrix operator, we explore the performance of algorithms for computing its eigenvalues and eigenvectors represented using polynomial chaos expansions. We formulate a version of stochastic inverse subspace iteration, which is based on the stochastic Galerkin finite element method, and we compare its accuracy with that of Monte Carlo and stochastic collocation methods. The coefficients of the eigenvalue expansions are computed from a stochastic Rayleigh quotient. Our approach allows the computation of interior eigenvalues by deflation methods, and we can also compute the coefficients of multiple eigenvectors using a stochastic variant of the modified Gram-Schmidt process. The effectiveness of the methods is illustrated by numerical experiments on benchmark problems arising from vibration analysis.

Mathematical models based on the finite element method of structural analysis, as embodied in the NASTRAN computer code, are routinely used by the helicopter industry to calculate airframe static internal loads used for sizing structural members. Historically, less reliance has been placed on the vibration predictions based on these models. Beginning in the early 1980's NASA's Langley Research Center initiated an industry wide program with the objective of engendering the needed trust in vibration predictions using these models and establishing a body of modeling guides which would enable confident future prediction of airframe vibration as part of the regular design process. Emphasis in this paper is placed on the successful modeling of the Army/Boeing CH-47D which showed reasonable correlation with test data. A principal finding indicates that improved dynamic analysis requires greater attention to detail and perhaps a finer mesh, especially the mass distribution, than the usual stress model. Post program modeling efforts show improved correlation placing key modal frequencies in the b/rev range with 4 percent of the test frequencies.

A least squares formulation of the system divu = rho, curlu = zeta is surveyed from the viewpoint of both finite element and finite difference methods. Closely related arguments are shown to establish convergence estimates.

The thrust of this work was the development of efficient and accurate finite element methods for flow problems. Specific applications include periodic acoustic problems, potential flow problems and incompressible viscous flows. However, the theoretical analyses carried out also have a direct bearing on the approximation of problems in other areas, e.g., electromagnetics and elasticity. For the particular fluids applications mentioned above, computer codes implementing the algorithms have also been developed.

This paper proposes and analyzes an optimal preconditioner for a general linear symmetric positive definite (SPD) system by following the basic idea of the well-known BPX framework. The SPD system arises from a large number of nonstandard finite element methods for diffusion problems, including the well-known hybridized Raviart-Thomas (RT) and Brezzi-Douglas-Marini (BDM) mixed element methods, the hybridized discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) method, the Weak Galerkin (WG) method, and the nonconforming Crouzeix-Raviart (CR) element method. We prove that the presented preconditioner is optimal, in the sense that the condition number of the preconditioned system is independent of the mesh size. Numerical experiments are provided to confirm the theoretical results.

A newly developed weak Galerkin method is proposed to solve parabolic equations. This method allows the usage of totally discontinuous functions in approximation space and preserves the energy conservation law. Both continuous and discontinuous time weak Galerkin finite element schemes are developed and analyzed. Optimal order error estimates in both H^1 and L^2 norms are established. Numerical tests are performed and reported.

Mixed finite element methods solve a PDE using two or more variables. The theory of Discrete Exterior Calculus explains why the degrees of freedom associated to the different variables should be stored on both primal and dual domain meshes with a discrete Hodge star used to transfer information between the meshes. We show through analysis and examples that the choice of discrete Hodge star is essential to the numerical stability of the method. Additionally, we define interpolation functions and discrete Hodge stars on dual meshes which can be used to create previously unconsidered mixed methods. Examples from magnetostatics and Darcy flow are examined in detail.

In this paper we will discuss different coupling methods {suitable for use in} the framework of the recently introduced CutFEM paradigm, cf. Burman, Erik; Claus, Susanne; Hansbo, Peter; Larson, Mats G.; Massing, Andr\'e . CutFEM: discretizing geometry and partial differential equations. Internat. J. Numer. Methods Engrg. 104 (2015), no. 7, 472-501. In particular we will consider mortaring using Lagrange multipliers on the one hand and Nitsche's method on the other. For simplicity we will first discuss these method in the setting of uncut meshes, and end with some comments on the extension to CutFEM. We will, for comparison, discuss some different types of problems such as high contrast problems and problems with stiff coupling or adhesive contact. We will review some of the existing methods for these problems and propose some alternative methods resulting from crossovers from the Lagrange multiplier framework to Nitsche's method and vice versa.

In this paper we will discuss different coupling methods {suitable for use in} the framework of the recently introduced CutFEM paradigm, cf. Burman, Erik; Claus, Susanne; Hansbo, Peter; Larson, Mats G.; Massing, Andr\'e . CutFEM: discretizing geometry and partial differential equations. Internat. J. Numer. Methods Engrg. 104 (2015), no. 7, 472-501. In particular we will consider mortaring using Lagrange multipliers on the one hand and Nitsche's method on the other. For simplicity we will first discuss these method in the setting of uncut meshes, and end with some comments on the extension to CutFEM. We will, for comparison, discuss some different types of problems such as high contrast problems and problems with stiff coupling or adhesive contact. We will review some of the existing methods for these problems and propose some alternative methods resulting from crossovers from the Lagrange multiplier framework to Nitsche's method and vice versa.

In this paper, we consider local multiscale model reduction for problems with multiple scales in space and time. We developed our approaches within the framework of the Generalized Multiscale Finite Element Method (GMsFEM) using space-time coarse cells. The main idea of GMsFEM is to construct a local snapshot space and a local spectral decomposition in the snapshot space. Previous research in developing multiscale spaces within GMsFEM focused on constructing multiscale spaces and relevant ingredients in space only. In this paper, our main objective is to develop a multiscale model reduction framework within GMsFEM that uses space-time coarse cells. We construct space-time snapshot and offline spaces. We compute these snapshot solutions by solving local problems. A complete snapshot space will use all possible boundary conditions; however, this can be very expensive. We propose using randomized boundary conditions and oversampling. We construct the local spectral decomposition based on our analysis, as presented in the paper. We present numerical results to confirm our theoretical findings and to show that using our proposed approaches, we can obtain an accurate solution with low dimensional coarse spaces. We remark that the proposed method is a significant extension compared to existing methods, which use coarse cells in space only because of (1) the parabolic nature of cell solutions, (2) extra degrees of freedom associated with space-time cells, and (3) local boundary conditions in space-time cells.

In this paper, we propose oversampling strategies in the Generalized Multiscale Finite Element Method (GMsFEM) framework. The GMsFEM, which has been recently introduced in [12], allows solving multiscale parameter-dependent problems at a reduced computational cost by constructing a reduced-order representation of the solution on a coarse grid. The main idea of the method consists of (1) the construction of snapshot space, (2) the construction of the offline space, and (3) construction of the online space (the latter for parameter-dependent problems). In [12], it was shown that the GMsFEM provides a flexible tool to solve multiscale problems with a complex input space by generating appropriate snapshot, offline, and online spaces. In this paper, we develop oversampling techniques to be used in this context (see [19] where oversampling is introduced for multiscale finite element methods). It is known (see [19]) that the oversampling can improve the accuracy of multiscale methods. In particular, the oversampling technique uses larger regions (larger than the target coarse block) in constructing local basis functions. Our motivation stems from the analysis presented in this paper which show that when using oversampling techniques in the construction of the snapshot space and offline space, GMsFEM will converge independent of small scales and high-contrast under certain assumptions. We consider the use of multiple eigenvalue problem to improve the convergence and discuss their relation to single spectral problems that use oversampled regions. The oversampling procedures proposed in this paper differ from those in [19]. In particular, the oversampling domains are partially used in constructing local spectral problems. We present numerical results and compare various oversampling techniques in order to complement the proposed technique and analysis.

This paper introduces a new weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method for second order elliptic equations on polytopal meshes. This method, called WG-FEM, is designed by using a discrete weak gradient operator applied to discontinuous piecewise polynomials on finite element partitions of arbitrary polytopes with certain shape regularity. The paper explains how the numerical schemes are designed and why they provide reliable numerical approximations for the underlying partial differential equations. In particular, optimal order error estimates are established for the corresponding WG-FEM approximations in both a discrete $H^1$ norm and the standard $L^2$ norm. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the robustness, reliability, and accuracy of the WG-FEM. All the results are derived for finite element partitions with polytopes. Allowing the use of discontinuous approximating functions on arbitrary polytopal elements is a highly demanded feature for numerical algorithms in scientific computing.

Elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) with discontinuous diffusion coefficients occur in application domains such as diffusions through porous media, electro-magnetic field propagation on heterogeneous media, and diffusion processes on rough surfaces. The standard approach to numerically treating such problems using finite element methods is to assume that the discontinuities lie on the boundaries of the cells in the initial triangulation. However, this does not match applications where discontinuities occur on curves, surfaces, or manifolds, and could even be unknown beforehand. One of the obstacles to treating such discontinuity problems is that the usual perturbation theory for elliptic PDEs assumes bounds for the distortion of the coefficients in the $L_\infty$ norm and this in turn requires that the discontinuities are matched exactly when the coefficients are approximated. We present a new approach based on distortion of the coefficients in an $L_q$ norm with $q

Elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) with discontinuous diffusion coefficients occur in application domains such as diffusions through porous media, electro-magnetic field propagation on heterogeneous media, and diffusion processes on rough surfaces. The standard approach to numerically treating such problems using finite element methods is to assume that the discontinuities lie on the boundaries of the cells in the initial triangulation. However, this does not match applications where discontinuities occur on curves, surfaces, or manifolds, and could even be unknown beforehand. One of the obstacles to treating such discontinuity problems is that the usual perturbation theory for elliptic PDEs assumes bounds for the distortion of the coefficients in the $L_\infty$ norm and this in turn requires that the discontinuities are matched exactly when the coefficients are approximated. We present a new approach based on distortion of the coefficients in an $L_q$ norm with $q

The aim of this paper is to propose a systematic way to obtain convergent finite element schemes for the Darcy-Stokes flow problem by combining well-known mixed finite elements that are separately convergent for Darcy and Stokes problems. In the approach in which the Darcy problem is set in its natural $\mathbf{H}(\text{div})$ formulation and the Stokes problem is expressed in velocity-pressure form, the transmission condition ensuring global mass conservation becomes essential. As opposed to the strategy that handles weakly this transmission condition through a Lagrange multiplier, we impose here this restriction exactly in the space of global velocity field. Our analysis of the Galerkin discretization of the resulting problem reveals that, if the mixed finite element space used in the Darcy domain admits an $\mathbf{H}(\text{div})$-stable discrete lifting of the normal trace, then it can be combined with any stable Stokes mixed finite element of the same order to deliver a stable global method with quasi-optimal convergence rate. Finally, we present a series of numerical tests confirming our theoretical convergence estimates.

Use of the stochastic Galerkin finite element methods leads to large systems of linear equations obtained by the discretization of tensor product solution spaces along their spatial and stochastic dimensions. These systems are typically solved iteratively by a Krylov subspace method. We propose a preconditioner which takes an advantage of the recursive hierarchy in the structure of the global matrices. In particular, the matrices posses a recursive hierarchical two-by-two structure, with one of the submatrices block diagonal. Each one of the diagonal blocks in this submatrix is closely related to the deterministic mean-value problem, and the action of its inverse is in the implementation approximated by inner loops of Krylov iterations. Thus our hierarchical Schur complement preconditioner combines, on each level in the approximation of the hierarchical structure of the global matrix, the idea of Schur complement with loops for a number of mutually independent inner Krylov iterations, and several matrix-vector multiplications for the off-diagonal blocks. Neither the global matrix, nor the matrix of the preconditioner need to be formed explicitly. The ingredients include only the number of stiffness matrices from the truncated Karhunen-Lo\`{e}ve expansion and a good preconditioned for the mean-value deterministic problem. We provide a condition number bound for a model elliptic problem and the performance of the method is illustrated by numerical experiments.

It is well-known that it is comparatively difficult to design nonconforming finite elements on quadrilateral meshes by using Gauss-Legendre points on each edge of triangulations. One reason lies in that these degrees of freedom associated to these Gauss-Legendre points are not all linearly independent for usual expected polynomial spaces, which explains why only several lower order nonconforming quadrilateral finite elements can be found in literature. The present paper proposes two families of nonconforming finite elements of any odd order and one family of nonconforming finite elements of any even order on quadrilateral meshes. Degrees of freedom are given for these elements, which are proved to be well-defined for their corresponding shape function spaces in a unifying way. These elements generalize three lower order nonconforming finite elements on quadrilaterals to any order. In addition, these nonconforming finite element spaces are shown to be full spaces which is somehow not discussed for nonconforming finite elements in literature before.

A recently developed spectral-element adaptive refinement incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code [Rosenberg, Fournier, Fischer, Pouquet, J. Comp. Phys. 215, 59-80 (2006)] is applied to simulate the problem of MHD island coalescence instability (MICI) in two dimensions. MICI is a fundamental MHD process that can produce sharp current layers and subsequent reconnection and heating in a high-Lundquist number plasma such as the solar corona [Ng and Bhattacharjee, Phys. Plasmas, 5, 4028 (1998)]. Due to the formation of thin current layers, it is highly desirable to use adaptively or statically refined grids to resolve them, and to maintain accuracy at the same time. The output of the spectral-element static adaptive refinement simulations are compared with simulations using a finite difference method on the same refinement grids, and both methods are compared to pseudo-spectral simulations with uniform grids as baselines. It is shown that with the statically refined grids roughly scaling linearly with effective resolution, spectral element runs can maintain accuracy significantly higher than that of the finite difference runs, in some cases achieving close to full spectral accuracy.

A number of finite element methods for the analysis of nonlinear problems in rubber elasticity are outlined. Several different finite element schemes are discussed. These include the augmented Lagrangian method, continuation or incremental loading methods, and associated Riks-type methods which have the capability of incorporating limit point behavior and bifurcations. Algorithms for the analysis of limit point behavior and bifurcations are described and the results of several numerical experiments are presented. In addition, a brief survey of some recent work on modelling contact and friction in elasticity problems is given. These results pertain to the use of new nonlocal and nonlinear friction laws.

A number of finite element methods for the analysis of nonlinear problems in rubber elasticity are outlined. Several different finite element schemes are discussed. These include the augmented Lagrangian method, continuation or incremental loading methods, and associated Riks-type methods which have the capability of incorporating limit point behavior and bifurcations. Algorithms for the analysis of limit point behavior and bifurcations are described and the results of several numerical experiments are presented. In addition, a brief survey of some recent work on modelling contact and friction in elasticity problems is given. These results pertain to the use of new nonlocal and nonlinear friction laws.

The commitment to develop the National Aerospace Plane and Maneuvering Reentry Vehicles has generated resurgent interest in the technology required to design structures for hypersonic flight. The principal objective of this research and development effort has been to formulate and implement a new class of computational methodologies for accurately predicting fine scale phenomena associated with this class of problems. The initial focus of this effort was to develop optimal h-refinement and p-enrichment adaptive finite element methods which utilize a-posteriori estimates of the local errors to drive the adaptive methodology. Over the past year this work has specifically focused on two issues which are related to overall performance of a flow solver. These issues include the formulation and implementation (in two dimensions) of an implicit/explicit flow solver compatible with the hp-adaptive methodology, and the design and implementation of computational algorithm for automatically selecting optimal directions in which to enrich the mesh. These concepts and algorithms have been implemented in a two-dimensional finite element code and used to solve three hypersonic flow benchmark problems (Holden Mach 14.1, Edney shock on shock interaction Mach 8.03, and the viscous backstep Mach 4.08).

This report discusses the reliability of finite element analysis techniques in place of structural test in the context of airworthiness assessment. Using an example as illustration, the paper shows that in order to obtain the meaningful results, the analysis must be performed with extreme care by an experienced analyst. The reliance on the finite element analysis alone may result in serious misdiagnosis. The verification and the certification of programs and the certification of users are discussed. Some of the most important tests for validation of finite element are presented. Keywords: NATO furnished; Aviation safety; Safety engineering; Reliability; Computerized simulation.

This report discusses the reliability of finite element analysis techniques in place of structural test in the context of airworthiness assessment. Using an example as illustration, the paper shows that in order to obtain the meaningful results, the analysis must be performed with extreme care by an experienced analyst. The reliance on the finite element analysis alone may result in serious misdiagnosis. The verification and the certification of programs and the certification of users are discussed. Some of the most important tests for validation of finite element are presented. Keywords: NATO furnished; Aviation safety; Safety engineering; Reliability; Computerized simulation.

In this paper, we revisit an auxiliary space preconditioning method proposed by Xu [Computing 56, 1996], in which low-order finite element spaces are employed as auxiliary spaces for solving linear algebraic systems arising from high-order finite element discretizations. We provide a new convergence rate estimate and parallel implementation of the proposed algorithm. We show that this method is user-friendly and can play an important role in a variety of Poisson-based solvers for more challenging problems such as the Navier--Stokes equation. We investigate the performance of the proposed algorithm using the Poisson equation and the Stokes equation on 3D unstructured grids. Numerical results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed algorithm in terms of efficiency, robustness, and parallel scalability.

In this paper we describe generic algorithms and data structures for the implementation of $hp$-adaptive discontinuous finite element methods in the Dune-Fem library. Special attention is given to the often tedious and error-prone task of transferring user data during adaptation. Simultaneously, we generalize the approach to the restriction and prolongation of data currently implemented in Dune-Fem to the case of $p$- and $hp$-adaptation. The dune-fem-hpdg module described in this paper provides an extensible reference implementation of $hp$-adaptive discontinuous discrete function spaces. We give details on its implementation and the extended adaptive interface. As proof of concept we present the practical realization of an $hp$-adaptive interior penalty method for elliptic problems.

In this paper we discuss the adjoint stabilised finite element method introduced in, E. Burman, Stabilized finite element methods for nonsymmetric, noncoercive and ill-posed problems. Part I: elliptic equations, SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, and how it may be used for the computation of solutions to problems for which the standard stability theory given by the Lax-Milgram Lemma or the Babuska-Brezzi Theorem fails. We pay particular attention to ill-posed problems that have some conditional stability property and prove (conditional) error estimates in an abstract framework. As a model problem we consider the elliptic Cauchy problem and provide a complete numerical analysis for this case. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate the theory.

In this article, interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin methods using immersed finite element functions are employed to solve parabolic interface problems. Typical semi-discrete and fully discrete schemes are presented and analyzed. Optimal convergence for both semi-discrete and fully discrete schemes are proved. Some numerical experiments are provided to validate our theoretical results.

Tikhonov regularization is one of the most commonly used methods of regularization of ill-posed problems. In the setting of finite element solutions of elliptic partial differential control problems, Tikhonov regularization amounts to adding suitably weighted least squares terms of the control variable, or derivatives thereof, to the Lagrangian determining the optimality system. In this note we show that stabilization methods for discretely ill--posed problems developed in the setting of convection--dominated convection--diffusion problems, can be highly suitable for stabilizing optimal control problems, and that Tikhonov regularization will lead to less accurate discrete solutions. We consider data assimilation problems for Poisson's equation as illustration and derive new error estimates both for the the reconstruction of the solution from measured data and reconstruction of the source term from measured data. These estimates include both the effect of discretization error and error in measurements.

In this paper, we present a unified analysis of both convergence and optimality of adaptive mixed finite element methods for a class of problems when the finite element spaces and corresponding a posteriori error estimates under consideration satisfy five hypotheses. We prove that these five conditions are sufficient for convergence and optimality of the adaptive algorithms under consideration. The main ingredient for the analysis is a new method to analyze both discrete reliability and quasi-orthogonality. This new method arises from an appropriate and natural choice of the norms for both the discrete displacement and stress spaces, namely, a mesh-dependent discrete $H^1$ norm for the former and a $L^2$ norm for the latter, and a newly defined projection operator from the discrete stress space on the coarser mesh onto the discrete divergence free space on the finer mesh. As applications, we prove these five hypotheses for the Raviart--Thomas and Brezzi--Douglas--Marini elements of the Poisson and Stokes problems in both 2D and 3D.

An efficient time-stepping algorithm is proposed based on operator-splitting and the space-time discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for problems in the non-classical theory of thermoelasticity. The non-classical theory incorporates three models; the classical theory based on Fourier's law of heat conduction resulting in a hyperbolic-parabolic coupled system, a non-classical theory of a fully hyperbolic extension, and a combination of the two. The general problem is split into two contractive sub-problems, namely the mechanical phase and the thermal phase. Each sub-problem is discretised using space-time discontinuous Galerkin finite element method resulting each to be stable which then leads to unconditional stability of the global product algorithm. A number of numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance and capability of the method.

Extreme mass ratio binary systems, binaries involving stellar mass objects orbiting massive black holes, are considered to be a primary source of gravitational radiation to be detected by the space-based interferometer LISA. The numerical modelling of these binary systems is extremely challenging because the scales involved expand over several orders of magnitude. One needs to handle large wavelength scales comparable to the size of the massive black hole and, at the same time, to resolve the scales in the vicinity of the small companion where radiation reaction effects play a crucial role. Adaptive finite element methods, in which quantitative control of errors is achieved automatically by finite element mesh adaptivity based on posteriori error estimation, are a natural choice that has great potential for achieving the high level of adaptivity required in these simulations. To demonstrate this, we present the results of simulations of a toy model, consisting of a point-like source orbiting a black hole under the action of a scalar gravitational field.

In this paper we propose a new method to stabilise non-symmetric indefinite problems. The idea is to solve a forward and an adjoint problem simultaneously using a suitable stabilised finite element method. Both stabilisation of the element residual and jumps of certain derivatives of the discrete solution over element faces may be used. Under the assumption of well posedness of the partial differential equation and its associated adjoint problem we prove optimal error estimates in $H^1$ and $L^2$ norms in an abstract framework. Some examples of problems that are neither symmetric nor coercive, but that enter the abstract framework are given. First we treat indefinite convection-diffusion equations, with non-solenoidal transport velocity and either pure Dirichlet conditions or pure Neumann conditions and then a Cauchy problem for the Helmholtz operator. Some numerical illustrations are given.

New, improved computational methods for modeling of groundwater flow and transport have been formulated and implemented, with the intention of incorporating them as user options into the DoD Groundwater Modeling System under development at the Waterways Experiment Station. These methods, which are specifically designed to treat the difficulties of subsurface flows in porous media, yield greater accuracy with coarser spatial grids and longer time steps, making possible more detailed three-dimensional (3D) simulations than would otherwise be practical. For 3D solute transport, the methods have been implemented and perform as expected on representative test problems. Theoretical analysis that substantiates this performance has also been carried out. The method for flow equations leads to linear algebraic equations that are difficult to solve, and an efficient 3D solver that overcomes these problems has been analyzed theoretically, implemented, and shown to perform well on model problems. The 3D flow code has been extended to distorted grids, the 3D transport code has been incorporated into the USGS MOC3D codes, and the two codes are being coupled together into a flow and transport code for solute.

The Holloman High Speed Test Track is a rocket sled track for testing at hypersonic velocities. However, there are customers that desire to test at even greater velocities. In order to achieve higher velocities there are several phenomena that must be overcome. One important phenomenon is wear of the shoe that holds the sled on the rail. This research is a look at the feasibility of using finite element analysis to predict the wear of the shoe during a test run down the track. Two methods are investigated, one a macro-scale, incremental method utilizing traditional wear equations from Archard, the other a microscale, material property method that used a failure criteria to determine the amount of wear. These methods are implemented at low speeds to allow for comparison to results from the literature. While the incremental method was found to provide accurate results, there are many numerical problems associated with it. The material property method was found to be feasible, but more research is needed to validate and calibrate the process.

Underintegrated methods are investigated with respect to their stability and convergence properties. The focus was on identifying regions where they work and regions where techniques such as hourglass viscosity and hourglass control can be used. Results obtained show that underintegrated methods typically lead to finite element stiffness with spurious modes in the solution. However, problems exist (scalar elliptic boundary value problems) where underintegrated with hourglass control yield convergent solutions. Also, stress averaging in underintegrated stiffness calculations does not necessarily lead to stable or convergent stress states.

Modern numerical methods for the optimization of large discretized systems are now well developed and highly efficient in the case of thin walled elastic structures modeled by finite elements. However, this is not yet true for structures whose components are subject simultaneously to bending and extension loads. In this paper, the idea of Generalized Optimality Criterion (GOC), set forth in previous final scientific reports for bar, membrane and pure bending elements, is extended to deal with general beam and flat shell elements. The modifications brought to the GOC result in explicit approximations for the behavior constraints.(Author)

Modern numerical methods for the optimization of large discretized systems are now well developed and highly efficient in the case of thin walled elastic structures modeled by finite elements. However, this is not yet true for structures whose components are subject simultaneously to bending and extension loads. In this paper, the idea of Generalized Optimality Criterion (GOC), set forth in previous final scientific reports for bar, membrane and pure bending elements, is extended to deal with general beam and flat shell elements. The modifications brought to the GOC result in explicit approximations for the behavior constraints.(Author)

Modern numerical methods for the optimization of large discretized systems are now well developed and highly efficient in the case of thin walled elastic structures modeled by finite elements. However, this is not yet true for structures whose components are subject simultaneously to bending and extension loads. In this paper, the idea of Generalized Optimality Criterion (GOC), set forth in previous final scientific reports for bar, membrane and pure bending elements, is extended to deal with general beam and flat shell elements. The modifications brought to the GOC result in explicit approximations for the behavior constraints.(Author)

Formulations and algorithms implemented in the MHOST finite element program are discussed. The code uses a novel concept of the mixed iterative solution technique for the efficient 3-D computations of turbine engine hot section components. The general framework of variational formulation and solution algorithms are discussed which were derived from the mixed three field Hu-Washizu principle. This formulation enables the use of nodal interpolation for coordinates, displacements, strains, and stresses. Algorithmic description of the mixed iterative method includes variations for the quasi static, transient dynamic and buckling analyses. The global-local analysis procedure referred to as the subelement refinement is developed in the framework of the mixed iterative solution, of which the detail is presented. The numerically integrated isoparametric elements implemented in the framework is discussed. Methods to filter certain parts of strain and project the element discontinuous quantities to the nodes are developed for a family of linear elements. Integration algorithms are described for linear and nonlinear equations included in MHOST program.

117 p. 28 cm

117 p. 28 cm