Curl‐conform source fields in finite element formulations

Abstract

PurposeThis paper proposes an automatic procedure to characterize discrete source fields.Design/methodology/approachA technique is developed to characterize curl‐conform fields to be used as source fields or non‐local basis functions in finite element formulations. A reduced characterization of such fields using curl‐conform finite elements is defined. An automatic construction of these curl‐conform spaces is proposed.FindingsA reduced characterization of such fields is shown to be convenient for the coupling with complementary reaction fields and for simply and explicitly defining non‐local quantities, such as currents in h‐conform magnetodynamic formulations. The reduced form rests on the choice of supports for the fields limited to reduced cut spaces associated with cuts making the definition domain simply connected.Originality/valueDevelops a procedure to simplify the construction of curl‐conform source fields.