Argyris type quasi-interpolation of optimal approximation order

Abstract

The paper investigates a quasi-interpolation framework for the construction of operators that provide approximations for bivariate functions from the space of Argyris macro-element splines on a general triangulation. An operator of such type is determined by local approximation operators that produce quintic polynomials and are naturally associated with vertices and triangles of the triangulation. The quasi-interpolant resembles the properties of the standard Argyris interpolant, especially in the determination of data corresponding to the vertices of the triangulation. The main difference is in the definition of the cross-boundary derivatives, where a novel approach with degree raising is used to eliminate the need for additional interpolation of derivatives at the edges. Despite reduction in degrees of freedom, a suitable choice of local approximation operators ensures that the quasi-interpolation operator has quintic precision and is of optimal approximation order. To demonstrate the usability of the presented approach, three approximation methods are derived based on local Hermite and Lagrange interpolation and least square fitting.