Enhanced error estimator based on a nearly equilibrated moving least squares recovery technique for FEM and XFEM

Abstract

In this paper a new technique aimed to obtain accurate estimates of the error in energy norm using a moving least squares (MLS) recovery-based procedure is presented. In the techniques based on the superconvergent patch recovery (SPR) the continuity of the recovered field is provided by the shape functions of the underlying mesh. We explore the capabilities of a recovery technique based on an MLS fitting, more flexible than SPR techniques as it directly provides continuous interpolated fields without relying on any FE mesh, to obtain estimates of the error in energy norm as an alternative to SPR. In the enhanced MLS proposed in the paper, boundary equilibrium is enforced using a nearest point approach that modifies the MLS functional. Lagrange multipliers are used to impose a nearly exact satisfaction of the internal equilibrium equation. The numerical results indicate the high accuracy of the proposed error.