A multithreaded parallel upwind sweep algorithm for the S_(N) transport equations discretized with discontinuous finite elements

The complex structure and strong heterogeneity of advanced nuclear reactor systems pose challenges for high-fidelity neutron-shielding calculations. Unstructured meshes exhibit strong geometric adaptability and can overcome the deficiencies of conventionally structured meshes in complex geometry modeling. A multithreaded parallel upwind sweep algorithm for S_(N) transport was proposed to achieve a more accurate geometric description and improve the computational efficiency. The spatial variables were discretized using the standard discontinuous Galerkin finite-element method. The angular flux transmission between neighboring meshes was handled using an upwind scheme. In addition, a combination of a mesh transport sweep and angular iterations was realized using a multithreaded parallel technique. The algorithm was implemented in the 2D/3D S_(N) transport code ThorSNIPE, and numerical evaluations were conducted using three typical benchmark problems:IAEA, Kobayashi-3i, and VENUS-3. These numerical results indicate that the multithreaded parallel upwind sweep algorithm can achieve high computational efficiency. ThorSNIPE, with a multithreaded parallel upwind sweep algorithm, has good reliability, stability, and high efficiency, making it suitable for complex shielding calculations.

Robust Falk-Neilan Finite Elements for the Reissner-Mindlin Plate

The family of Falk-Neilan P_(k)finite elements,combined with the Argyris P_(k+1)finite elements,solves the Reissner-Mindlin plate equation quasi-optimally and locking-free,on triangular meshes.The method is truly conforming or consistent in the sense that no projection/reduction is introduced.Theoretical proof and numerical confirmation are presented.

OPTIMALLY ACCURATE PETROV-GALERKIN METHOD OF FINITE ELEMENTS

We perform analysis for a finite elements method applied to the singular self-adjoint problem.This method uses continuous piecewise polynomial spaces for the trial and the test spaces.We fit the trial polynomial space by piecewise exponentials and we apply so exponentially fitted Galerkin method to singular self-adjomt problem by approximating driving terms by Lagrange piecewise polynomials,linear,quadratic and cubic.Wt measure the erroe in max norm.We show that method is optimal of the first order in the error estimate,We also give numerical results for the Galerkin approximation.

Application of Finite Elements Method for Structural Analysis in a Coffee Harvester

Stress concentration and large displacements are usual problems in the components of the structure of agricultural machinery such harvesters coffee, and that finite element method (FEM) can be a tool to minimize its effects. The goal of this paper is to get results of stresses and displacements of a coffee harvester structure by using FEM for static simulation. The main parts of the coffee harvester analyzed were: engine frame, body right and left sides, front and rear end, main beam, coffee reservoir, wheels and fuel tank. Two different design concepts of a coffee harvester machine were analyzed (structure with rear wheels aligned and misaligned) and the results were compared. It was observed that the model with rear wheels misaligned showed maximum displacement lower than the model with rear wheels aligned. Although higher stress was found in the rear wheels misaligned, it was observed that average stresses for the misaligned wheels design were lower in most structural components analyzed. Based on FEM results, the coffee harvester machine with misaligned rear wheels was built and subjected to operational tests without showing any structural failure.

Finite Elements Based on Deslauriers-Dubuc Wavelets for Wave Propagation Problems

This paper presents the formulation of finite elements based on Deslauriers-Dubuc interpolating scaling functions, also known as Interpolets, for their use in wave propagation modeling. Unlike other wavelet families like Daubechies, Interpolets possess rational filter coefficients, are smooth, symmetric and therefore more suitable for use in numerical methods. Expressions for stiffness and mass matrices are developed based on connection coefficients, which are inner products of basis functions and their derivatives. An example in 1-D was formulated using Central Difference and Newmark schemes for time differentiation. Encouraging results were obtained even for large time steps. Results obtained in 2-D are compared with the standard Finite Difference Method for validation.

Ultraconvergence for averaging discontinuous finite elements and its applications in Hamiltonian system

This paper discusses the k-degree averaging discontinuous finite element solution for the initial value problem of ordinary differential equations.When k is even,the averaging numerical flux (the average of left and right limits for the discontinuous finite element at nodes) has the optimal-order ultraconvergence 2k + 2.For nonlinear Hamiltonian systems (e.g.,Schro¨dinger equation and Kepler system) with momentum conservation,the discontinuous finite element methods preserve momentum at nodes.These properties are confirmed by numerical experiments.

Nonconforming finite elements for the equation of planar elasticity

Two new locking-free nonconforming finite elements for the pure displacement planar elasticity problem are presented.Convergence rates of the elements are uniformly optimal with respect to λ.The energy norm and L 2 norm errors are proved to be O(h 2) and O(h 3),respectively.Numerical tests confirm the theoretical analysis.

Contribution to the Full 3D Finite Element Modelling of a Hybrid Stepping Motor with and without Current in the Coils

The paper presents our contribution to the full 3D finite element modelling of a hybrid stepping motor using COMSOL Multiphysics software. This type of four-phase motor has a permanent magnet interposed between the two identical and coaxial half stators. The calculation of the field with or without current in the windings (respectively with or without permanent magnet) is done using a mixed formulation with strong coupling. In addition, the local high saturation of the ferromagnetic material and the radial and axial components of the magnetic flux are taken into account. The results obtained make it possible to clearly observe, as a function of the intensity of the bus current or the remanent induction, the saturation zones, the lines, the orientations and the magnetic flux densities. 3D finite element modelling provide more accurate numerical data on the magnetic field through multiphysics analysis. This analysis considers the actual operating conditions and leads to the design of an optimized machine structure, with or without current in the windings and/or permanent magnet.

Constructing Order Two Superconvergent WG Finite Elements on Rectangular Meshes

In this paper,we introduce a stabilizer free weak Galerkin(SFWG)finite element method for second order elliptic problems on rectangular meshes.With a special weak Gradient space,an order two superconvergence for the SFWG finite element solution is obtained,in both L 2 and H1 norms.A local post-process lifts such a Pk weak Galerkin solution to an optimal order Pk+2 solution.The numerical results confirm the theory.

Indentation behavior of a semi-infinite piezoelectric semiconductor under a rigid flat-ended cylindrical indenter

This paper theoretically studies the axisymmetric frictionless indentation of a transversely isotropic piezoelectric semiconductor(PSC)half-space subject to a rigid flatended cylindrical indenter.The contact area and other surface of the PSC half-space are assumed to be electrically insulating.By the Hankel integral transformation,the problem is reduced to the Fredholm integral equation of the second kind.This equation is solved numerically to obtain the indentation behaviors of the PSC half-space,mainly including the indentation force-depth relation and the electric potential-depth relation.The results show that the effect of the semiconductor property on the indentation responses is limited within a certain range of variation of the steady carrier concentration.The dependence of indentation behavior on material properties is also analyzed by two different kinds of PSCs.Finite element simulations are conducted to verify the results calculated by the integral equation technique,and good agreement is demonstrated.

A Deep Learning Approach to Shape Optimization Problems for Flexoelectric Materials Using the Isogeometric Finite Element Method

A new approach for flexoelectricmaterial shape optimization is proposed in this study.In this work,a proxymodel based on artificial neural network(ANN)is used to solve the parameter optimization and shape optimization problems.To improve the fitting ability of the neural network,we use the idea of pre-training to determine the structure of the neural network and combine different optimizers for training.The isogeometric analysis-finite element method(IGA-FEM)is used to discretize the flexural theoretical formulas and obtain samples,which helps ANN to build a proxy model from the model shape to the target value.The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through two numerical examples of parameter optimization and one numerical example of shape optimization.

Finite Element Method Simulation of Wellbore Stability under Different Operating and Geomechanical Conditions

The variation of the principal stress of formations with the working and geo-mechanical conditions can trigger wellbore instabilities and adversely affect the well completion.A finite element model,based on the theory of poro-elasticity and the Mohr-Coulomb rock damage criterion,is used here to analyze such a risk.The changes in wellbore stability before and after reservoir acidification are simulated for different pressure differences.The results indicate that the risk of wellbore instability grows with an increase in the production-pressure difference regardless of whether acidification is completed or not;the same is true for the instability area.After acidizing,the changes in the main geomechanical parameters(i.e.,elastic modulus,Poisson’s ratio,and rock strength)cause the maximum wellbore instability coefficient to increase.

Collapse Behavior of Pipe-Framed Greenhouses with and without Reinforcement under Snow Loading:A 3-D Finite Element Analysis

The present paper first investigates the collapse behavior of a conventional pipe-framed greenhouse under snow loading based on a 3-D finite element analysis,in which both geometrical and material non-linearities are considered.Three snow load distribution patterns related to the wind-driven snow particle movement are used in the analysis.It is found that snow load distribution affects the deformation and collapse behavior of the pipe-framed greenhouse significantly.The results obtained in this study are consistent with the actual damage observed.Next,discussion is made of the effects of reinforcements by adding members to the basic frame on the strength of the whole structure,in which seven kinds of reinforcement methods are examined.A buckling analysis is also carried out.The results indicate that the most effective reinforcement method depends on the snow load distribution pattern.

A Full Predictor-Corrector Finite Element Method for the One-Dimensional Heat Equation with Time-Dependent Singularities

The energy norm convergence rate of the finite element solution of the heat equation is reduced by the time-regularity of the exact solution. This paper presents an adaptive finite element treatment of time-dependent singularities on the one-dimensional heat equation. The method is based on a Fourier decomposition of the solution and an extraction formula of the coefficients of the singularities coupled with a predictor-corrector algorithm. The method recovers the optimal convergence rate of the finite element method on a quasi-uniform mesh refinement. Numerical results are carried out to show the efficiency of the method.

Study of Axisymmetric Infinite Guide Lined with Locally Reacting Material without Flow Using DtN Operators

The present work proposed a new method for the modeling by the finite element method of the acoustic propagation problems in infinite axisymmetric cylindrical guides lined with locally reacting absorbent materials without flow. The method deals with the development of an efficient transparent boundary condition based on DtN operators. The method developed in this study is successfully applied to a straight axisymmetric lined guide by imposing a mode on one of the artificial boundaries of the truncated guide. The results are in good agreement with analytical solutions. Applying the method for a non-uniform axisymmetric lined guide which is a complex case, proved its effectiveness and the results compared to those of PML layers are in very good agreement.

Rotation-based finite elements:reference-configuration geometry and motion description

Infinitesimal-rotation finite elements allow creating a linear problem that can be exploited to systematically reduce the number of coordinates and obtain efficient solutions for a wide range of applications,including those governed by nonlinear equations.This paper discusses the limitations of conventional infinitesimal-rotation finite elements(FE)in capturing correctly the initial stress-free reference-configuration geometry,and explains the effect of these limitations on the definition of the inertia used in the motion description.An alternative to conventional infinitesimal-rotation finite elements is a new class of elements that allow developing inertia expressions written explicitly in terms of constant coefficients that define accurately the reference-configuration geometry.It is shown that using a geometrically inconsistent(GI)approach that introduces the infinitesimal-rotation coordinates from the outset to replace the interpolation-polynomial coefficients is the main source of the failure to capture correctly the reference-configuration geometry.On the other hand,by using a geometrically consistent(GC)approach that employs the position gradients of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation(ANCF)to define the infinitesimal-rotation coordinates,the reference-configuration geometry can be preserved.Two simple examples of straight and tapered beams are used to demonstrate the basic differences between the two fundamentally different approaches used to introduce the infinitesimal-rotation coordinates.The analysis presented in this study sheds light on the differences between the incremental co-rotational solution procedure,widely used in computational structural mechanics,and the non-incremental floating frame of reference formulation(FFR),widely used in multibody system(MBS)dynamics.

On the error bounds of nonconforming finite elements

We prove that the error estimates of a large class of nonconforming finite elements are dominated by their approximation errors, which means that the well-known Cea's lemma is still valid for these nonconforming finite element methods. Furthermore, we derive the error estimates in both energy and L2 norms under the regularity assumption u ∈ H1+s(Ω) with any s > 0. The extensions to other related problems are possible.

Computation of Two-Phase Biomembranes with Phase Dependent Material Parameters Using Surface Finite Elements

The shapes of vesicles formed by lipid bilayers with phase separation are governed by a bending energy with phase dependent material parameters together with a line energy associatedwith the phase interfaces.We present a numericalmethod to approximate solutions to the Euler-Lagrange equations featuring triangulated surfaces,isoparametric quadratic surface finite elements and the phase field approach for the phase separation.Furthermore,the method involves an iterative solution scheme that is based on a relaxation dynamics coupling a geometric evolution equation for the membrane surface with a surface Allen-Cahn equation.Remeshing and grid adaptivity are discussed,and in various simulations the influence of several physical parameters is investigated.

PENALTY-FACTOR-FREE STABILIZED NONCONFORMING FINITE ELEMENTS FOR SOLVING STATIONARY NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS

Two nonconforming penalty methods for the two-dimensional stationary Navier-Stokes equations are studied in this paper.These methods are based on the weakly continuous P1 vector fields and the locally divergence-free(LDF)finite elements,which respectively penalize local divergence and are discontinuous across edges.These methods have no penalty factors and avoid solving the saddle-point problems.The existence and uniqueness of the velocity solution are proved,and the optimal error estimates of the energy norms and L^(2)-norms are obtained.Moreover,we propose unified pressure recovery algorithms and prove the optimal error estimates of L^(2)-norm for pressure.We design a unified iterative method for numerical experiments to verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis.

3D mixed finite elements for curved,flat piezoelectric structures

The Tangential-Displacement Normal-Normal-Stress(TDNNS)method is a finite element method that was originally introduced for elastic solids and later extended to piezoelectric materials.It uses tangential components of the displacement and normal components of the normal stress vector as degrees of freedom for elasticity.For the electric field,the electric potential is used.The TDNNS method has been shown to provide elements which do not suffer from shear locking.Therefore thin structures(e.g.piezoelectric patch actuators)can be modeled efficiently.Hexahedral and prismatic elements of arbitrary polynomial order are provided in the current contribution.We show that these elements can be used to discretize curved,shelllike geometries by curved elements of high aspect ratio.The order of geometry approximation can be chosen independently from the polynomial order of the shape functions.We present two examples of curved geometries,a circular patch actuator and a radially polarized piezoelectric semi-cylinder.Simulation results of the TDNNS method are compared to results gained in ABAQUS.We obtain good results for displacements and electric potential as well as for stresses,strains and electric field when using only one element in thickness direction.