Modeling atmospheric chemistry and transport with dynamic adaptive resolution

We discuss an adaptive resolution system for modeling regional air pollution based on the chemical transport model STEM. The grid adaptivity is implemented using the generic adaptive mesh refinement tool Paramesh, which enables the grid management operations while harnessing the power of parallel computers. The computational algorithm is based on a decomposition of the domain, with the solution in different subdomains being computed with different spatial resolutions. Various refinement criteria that adaptively control the fine grid placement are analyzed to maximize the solution accuracy while maintaining an acceptable computational cost. Numerical experiments in a large-scale parallel setting (~0.5 billion variables) confirm that adaptive resolution, based on a well-chosen refinement criterion, leads to the decrease in spatial error with an acceptable increase in computational time. Fully dynamic grid adaptivity for air quality models is relatively new. We extend previous work on chemical and transport modeling by using dynamically adaptive grid resolution. Advantages and shortcomings of the present approach are also discussed.     

A Symmetrical Streamline Stabilization scheme for high advective transport

An overview of numerical techniques and previous investigations related to the solution of advection‐dominated transport processes is presented. In addition a new Symmetrical Streamline Stabilization (S³) scheme is introduced. The basis of the technique is to treat the transport equation in two steps. In the first step the dispersion part is approximated by a standard Galerkin approach, while in the second step the advection is approximated by a least‐squares method. The two parts are reassembled, resulting in one system of equations. The resulting coefficients' matrix is symmetric. Only half of a sparse matrix needs to be stored. Robust iterative algorithms for symmetrical systems of equations such as the preconditioned conjugate gradient method (PCG) can be successfully used. The new method leads to an implicit introduction of an ‘artificial diffusion’ term. Solute transport with high Peclet and Courant numbers does not lead to oscillations due to an inherent upwind damping. The upwind effect acts only in flow direction. The efficiency of the new formulation in terms of accuracy and computation time is shown in comparison with the Galerkin approach for mesh parallel and mesh oblique high advective solute transport. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

结构-地基动力相互作用的时域模型

结构-地基动力相互作用是结构地震响应分析及安全评估的一个非常重要课题。基于比例边界有限元法,提出了一种新颖的结构-地基动力相互作用的时域模型,即采用比例边界有限元子域模拟近场有限域部分,采用高阶透射边界模拟远场无限域部分。通过采用连分式展开和引入辅助变量,有限域的动力方程采用高阶的静力刚度矩阵和质量矩阵表示。高阶透射边界精确满足无限远处的辐射边界条件,具有全局精确、时间局部和收敛速度快等优点。它是基于改进的连分式法求解无限域动力刚度矩阵而建立的,在时域里表示为一阶常微分方程组。通过联立有限域和无限域的运动方程,建立了结构-地基相互作用的标准动力学方程,采用Newmark法可直接求解。3个算例结果表明,该算法在时域里比黏弹性边界更精确、有效。     

A stable space-time FE method for the shallow water equations

We consider the finite element (FE) approximation of the two dimensional shallow water equations (SWE) by considering discretizations in which both space and time are established using a stable FE method. Particularly, we consider the automatic variationally stable FE (AVS-FE) method, a type of discontinuous Petrov-Galerkin (DPG) method. The philosophy of the DPG method allows us to establish stable FE approximations as well as accurate a posteriori error estimators upon solution of a saddle point system of equations. The resulting error indicators allow us to employ mesh adaptive strategies and perform space-time mesh refinements, i.e., local time stepping. We establish a priori error estimates for the AVS-FE method and linearized SWE and perform numerical verifications to confirm corresponding asymptotic convergence behavior. In an effort to keep the computational cost low, we consider an alternative space-time approach in which the space-time domain is partitioned into finite sized space-time slices. Hence, we can perform adaptive mesh refinements on each individual slice to preset error tolerances as needed for a particular application. Numerical verifications comparing the two alternatives indicate the space-time slices are superior for simulations over long times, whereas the solutions are indistinguishable for short times. Multiple numerical verifications show the adaptive mesh refinement capabilities of the AVS-FE method, as well the application of the method to some commonly applied benchmarks for the SWE.

     

复杂区域自适应三角形网格全自动生成方法

为了使用自适应有限单元法求解岩土工程问题，本文在行被法的基础上，提出了一种适用于多介质复杂区域的三角形网格全自动生成方法。文中给出三个工程算例．     

An oversampling technique for the multiscale finite volume method to simulate electromagnetic responses in the frequency domain

In order to reduce the computational cost of the simulation of electromagnetic responses in geophysical settings that involve highly heterogeneous media, we develop a multiscale finite volume method with oversampling for the quasi-static Maxwell’s equations in the frequency domain. We assume a coarse mesh nested within a fine mesh that accurately discretizes the problem. For each coarse cell, we independently solve a local version of the original Maxwell’s system subject to linear boundary conditions on an extended domain, which includes the coarse cell and a neighborhood of fine cells around it. The local Maxwell’s system is solved using the fine mesh contained in the extended domain and the mimetic finite volume method. Next, these local solutions (basis functions) together with a weak-continuity condition are used to construct a coarse-mesh version of the global problem. The basis functions can be used to obtain the fine-mesh details from the solution of the coarse-mesh problem. Our approach leads to a significant reduction in the size of the final system of equations and the computational time, while accurately approximating the behavior of the fine-mesh solutions. We demonstrate the performance of our method using two 3D synthetic models: one with a mineral deposit in a geologically complex medium and one with random isotropic heterogeneous media. Both models are discretized using an adaptive mesh refinement technique.     

A comparison of multiscale methods for elliptic problems in porous media flow

We review and perform comparison studies for three recent multiscale methods for solving elliptic problems in porous media flow; the multiscale mixed finite-element method, the numerical subgrid upscaling method, and the multiscale finite-volume method. These methods are based on a hierarchical strategy, where the global flow equations are solved on a coarsened mesh only. However, for each method, the discrete formulation of the partial differential equations on the coarse mesh is designed in a particular fashion to account for the impact of heterogeneous subgrid structures of the porous medium. The three multiscale methods produce solutions that are mass conservative on the underlying fine mesh. The methods may therefore be viewed as efficient, approximate fine-scale solvers, i.e., as an inexpensive alternative to solving the elliptic problem on the fine mesh. In addition, the methods may be utilized as an alternative to upscaling, as they generate mass-conservative solutions on the coarse mesh. We therefore choose to also compare the multiscale methods with a state-of-the-art upscaling method – the adaptive local–global upscaling method, which may be viewed as a multiscale method when coupled with a mass-conservative downscaling procedure. We investigate the properties of all four methods through a series of numerical experiments designed to reveal differences with regard to accuracy and robustness. The numerical experiments reveal particular problems with some of the methods, and these will be discussed in detail along with possible solutions. Next, we comment on implementational aspects and perform a simple analysis and comparison of the computational costs associated with each of the methods. Finally, we apply the three multiscale methods to a dynamic two-phase flow case and demonstrate that high efficiency and accurate results can be obtained when the subgrid computations are made part of a preprocessing step and not updated, or updated infrequently, throughout the simulation. The research is funded by the Research Council of Norway under grant nos. 152732 and 158908.     

An important pitfall of pseudo-static finite element analysis

Finite Element (FE) pseudo-static analysis can provide a good compromise between simplified methods of dynamic analysis and time domain analysis. The pseudo-static FE approach can accurately model the in situ, stresses prior to seismic loading (when it follows a static analysis simulating the construction sequence) is relatively simple and not as computationally expensive as the time domain approach. However this method should be used with caution as the results can be sensitive to the choice of the mesh dimensions. In this paper two simple examples of pseudo-static finite element analysis are examined parametrically, a homogeneous slope and a cantilever retaining wall, exploring the sensitivity of the pseudo-static analysis results on the adopted mesh size. The mesh dependence was found to be more pronounced for problems with high critical seismic coefficients values (e.g. gentle slopes or small walls), as in these cases a generalised layer failure mechanism is developed simultaneously with the slope or wall mechanism. In general the mesh width was found not to affect notably the predicted value of critical seismic coefficient but to have a major impact on the predicted movements.     

三维复杂域非结构化六面体网格全自动生成方法

使用自适应有限单元法在三维复杂域内求解水工及岩土工程问题,讨论了应用行波法在多介质三维复杂块体内六面体单元网格的自动生成过程。其特点是对不规则区域具有较强的适应性,并考虑了节理单元的自动生成。     

Application of the edge function method to rock mechanics problems

Summary The edge function method is considered as an alternative to conventional numerical schemes for the solution of plane problems in rock mechanics. The essence of the approach is the approximation of the solution by a linear combination of solutions of the field equations. The unknowns in the linear combination are obtained from a system of equations which follows from the approximation of the boundary conditions by a boundary Galerkin energy method. No mesh generation is required over the domain or boundary of the problem. Previous edge function work in anisotropic elasticity is enhanced by the incorporation of a special solution for the effect of gravity. Examples are presented to illustrate the applicability of the method in determining stresses in various rock mechanics problems. A high level of accuracy is achieved with a relatively small number of degrees of freedom. Convergence is rapid because of the inclusion of special analytic solutions to model stress concentrations. The inclusion of the gravity force does, however, lead to a small increase in the number of degrees of freedom needed to achieve acceptable results. The optimum use of the edge function method, at present, may be as a special element within more general finite element or discrete element codes.     

Coupled computations for an elastic‐perfectly plastic soil using adaptive mesh refinement

An adaptive mesh refinement algorithm has been developed for non‐linear computations in geomechanics, based on a smoothed stress–strain finite element formulation. This uses estimates of error in the incremental shear strain invariant to guide the regeneration of unstructured meshes at regular intervals during loading. Following each mesh‐update, no re‐analysis of previous increments with the new mesh is necessary. Algorithm performance has been investigated by analysing a passive earth pressure problem using a linear elastic‐perfectly plastic Mohr–Coulomb soil model. Perfectly drained behaviour has been considered, as have partially drained situations using hydromechanical coupling, while undrained behaviour has been approximated using time steps close to zero. In all cases, mesh adaptivity has been successful in capturing regions of high strain gradient. The results have been compared with analytical solutions. Accurate computations of limit load and shear band orientation have been obtained for a wide range of material dilation angles. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于局部单元劈裂的FEM/DEM自适应分析方法

为了模拟岩体中裂纹的萌生、扩展,Munjiza提出了有限元法/离散元法(FEM/DEM)耦合分析方法。因为裂纹是沿单元边界进行扩展的,亦即裂纹扩展具有网格依赖性,为获得较好的裂纹扩展形态,需要划分密集的初始网格。为解决上述难题,基于FEM/DEM耦合分析方法,提出了基于局部单元动态劈裂的FEM/DEM自适应分析方法,以克服裂纹扩展形态对网格的依赖性。该方法在最初建模时无需划分很密的初始网格,随着荷载的施加,对裂纹尖端附近的局部单元进行动态劈裂,为裂纹的后续扩展提供了更多可能的扩展方向,使得裂纹扩展不必沿着初始网格的单元边界扩展,即可以沿着单元内部进行扩展,裂纹扩展形态更为平滑,与实际情况更为接近。同时相对原FEM/DEM耦合分析方法一开始就划分很密的网格而言,新方法可以划分较为稀疏的初始网格,计算成本降低。最后,通过巴西劈裂算例与原FEM/DEM耦合分析方法对比,分析表明,新方法在一定程度上克服了裂纹扩展形态对初始网格的依赖性。     

基于矢量匹配-劳斯法的群桩阻抗改进模型

采用薄层法算出群桩基础的频域阻抗,将群桩阻抗等效于一个单输入单输出系统,并表示为一个复数的频域传递函数。基于矢量匹配法（VF法）,通过对传递函数拟合得到任意分层地基的群桩阻抗函数的集总参数形式。采用VF法对整体频域拟合,可以得到多项分式分式阻抗形式,进而扩展成为Wu-Lee模型。结果表明,VF法拟合得到的动力柔度函数可以精确地匹配分层地基动力柔度函数,由于多项分式的形式可以直接扩展成为Wu-Lee集总参数模型,且数值稳定。对于高频阻抗拟合需要采用高阶数,进行劳斯（Routh）降阶,得到较好的效果。     

饱和砂土动静力特性的网格自适应数值模拟

在有限元数值计算平台上,建立了一套基于后验误差评估和Delaunay三角剖分的网格自适应方案,针对饱和砂土静力受压和地震液化的特性进行模拟。验证了超收敛单元片回归（SPR）误差评估中原用于四边形单元的双线性回归函数在用于三角形单元网格时的适用性和可靠性;在饱和砂土动、静力算例中,网格自适应计算获得的变形、应变、超孔压比等的变化规律与常规有限元结果趋势一致。随着网格的再生成,参考点的位移和全域的平均相对误差逼近精确值。对于初始网格,讨论了合理的自适应程度并应用于地震液化的自适应数值模拟中,也对Delaunay三角剖分实施了一些改进。最终证明该自适应方案在提高计算效率的同时,亦可以保证计算所需的精准度。     

起伏地表下的复杂三维地质模型建立与重力异常计算

由于地质体和矿体的形态非常复杂，使用长方体网格离散建立正演模型时可能和真实情况有很大差别，因此计算结果可靠性差。本文提出一种基于约束Delaunay网格剖分的方法对地质体进行离散并进行重力建模，在模型边界等复杂区域使用网格自适应加密技术，将三维地质体离散为有限个四面体；并详细推导出针对四面体网格的重力正演公式，实现了基于约束Delaunay网格剖分技术的三维重力数值模拟；最后，针对一个合成数据模型，将计算解与解析解对比。结果表明，细化网格的模拟结果比粗糙网格更好，满足数值模拟的精度要求。将该方法应用到金川矿区实际地质体建模中，根据局部需要，建立各处网格密度不均匀的三维模型，并计算该模型的地表重力场，而后对比模拟数据与实测数据，结果表明Delaunay网格建模方法具有很强的适用性，能够模拟复杂的地质体重力异常。     

Numerical modeling of toxic nonaqueous phase liquid removal from contaminated groundwater systems: mesh effect and discretization error estimation

Numerical modeling has now become an indispensable tool for investigating the fundamental mechanisms of toxic nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) removal from contaminated groundwater systems. Because the domain of a contaminated groundwater system may involve irregular shapes in geometry, it is necessary to use general quadrilateral elements, in which two neighbor sides are no longer perpendicular to each other. This can cause numerical errors on the computational simulation results due to mesh discretization effect. After the dimensionless governing equations of NAPL dissolution problems are briefly described, the propagation theory of the mesh discretization error associated with a NAPL dissolution system is first presented for a rectangular domain and then extended to a trapezoidal domain. This leads to the establishment of the finger‐amplitude growing theory that is associated with both the corner effect that takes place just at the entrance of the flow in a trapezoidal domain and the mesh discretization effect that occurs in the whole NAPL dissolution system of the trapezoidal domain. This theory can be used to make the approximate error estimation of the corresponding computational simulation results. The related theoretical analysis and numerical results have demonstrated the following: (1) both the corner effect and the mesh discretization effect can be quantitatively viewed as a kind of small perturbation, which can grow in unstable NAPL dissolution systems, so that they can have some considerable effects on the computational results of such systems; (2) the proposed finger‐amplitude growing theory associated with the corner effect at the entrance of a trapezoidal domain is useful for correctly explaining why the finger at either the top or bottom boundary grows much faster than that within the interior of the trapezoidal domain; (3) the proposed finger‐amplitude growing theory associated with the mesh discretization error in the NAPL dissolution system of a trapezoidal domain can be used for quantitatively assessing the correctness of computational simulations of NAPL dissolution front instability problems in trapezoidal domains, so that we can ensure that the computational simulation results are controlled by the physics of the NAPL dissolution system, rather than by the numerical artifacts. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A continuum mechanics based framework for optimizing boundary and finite element meshes associated with underground excavations—accuracy,efficiency and applications

A framework was developed to address the automatic optimization of the level of geometric detail required for stress analysis of underground excavations in mining, which was presented in the companion paper. The motivation for optimizing the mesh geometry stems from the over‐discretization of computational domain as the digital mine model is built while our knowledge of some of the input parameters is quite limited. Thus, the accuracy of the solution is not expected to be increased with a finely discretized mesh, only the computation time does. Therefore, it is acceptable if the results obtained from an optimized model have accuracy comparable to the uncertainty in input data (e.g. rock mass properties, geology, etc.). Although the mesh optimization framework automates the geometry optimization and reduces computation time, the accuracy of the solution from the resulting geometry must be evaluated to ensure the quality of the solution at the ‘region of interest’. Both a priori (mesh quality) and a posteriori (solution quality) measures are employed along with recording the mesh optimization time. Finally, the applicability of the mesh optimization framework is demonstrated by analysing a number of mining and civil engineering underground models. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method for dynamic analysis of geotechnical problems

In this paper an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method to solve dynamic problems involving large deformation is presented. This ALE method is based upon the operator-split technique in which the material displacements and mesh displacements are uncoupled. A brief history of the ALE method is first presented and then special issues such as time-stepping, mesh refinement, energy absorbing boundaries, dynamic equilibrium checks and remapping of state variables are explained. The ALE method and the updated-lagrangian (UL) method are then used to analyse some geotechnical problems to examine the significance of inertia effects, large deformation and contact mechanics. The results show the efficiency of the ALE method for solving dynamic geotechnical problems involving large deformation.