Space-time Finite Element Method Research Articles

A space-time mixed finite element method for reduced fracture flow models on nonmatching grids

This paper is concerned with the numerical solution of the flow problem in a fractured porous medium where the fracture is treated as a lower dimensional object embedded in the rock matrix. We consider a space-time mixed variational formulation of such a reduced fracture model with mixed finite element approximations in space and discontinuous Galerkin discretization in time. Different spatial and temporal grids are used in the subdomains and in the fracture to adapt to the heterogeneity of the problem. Analysis of the numerical scheme, including well-posedness of the discrete problem, stability and a priori error estimates, is presented. Using substructuring techniques, the coupled subdomain and fracture system is reduced to a space-time interface problem which is solved iteratively by GMRES. Each GMRES iteration involves solution of time-dependent problems in the subdomains using the method of lines with local spatial and temporal discretizations. The convergence of GMRES is proved by using the field-of-values analysis and the properties of the discrete space-time interface operator. Numerical experiments are carried out to illustrate the performance of the proposed iterative algorithm and the accuracy of the numerical solution.

A Space-Time Finite Element Method for the Eddy Current Approximation of Rotating Electric Machines

Abstract In this paper we formulate and analyze a space-time finite element method for the numerical simulation of rotating electric machines where the finite element mesh is fixed in a space-time domain. Based on the Babuška–Nečas theory we prove unique solvability both for the continuous variational formulation and for a standard Galerkin finite element discretization in the space-time domain. This approach allows for an adaptive resolution of the solution both in space and time, but it requires the solution of the overall system of algebraic equations. While the use of parallel solution algorithms seems to be mandatory, this also allows for a parallelization simultaneously in space and time. This approach is used for the eddy current approximation of the Maxwell equations which results in an elliptic-parabolic interface problem. Numerical results for linear and nonlinear constitutive material relations confirm the applicability and accuracy of the proposed approach.

Space-Time FEM for the Vectorial Wave Equation under Consideration of Ohm’s Law

Abstract The ability to deal with complex geometries and to go to higher orders is the main advantage of space-time finite element methods. Therefore, we want to develop a solid background from which we can construct appropriate space-time methods. In this paper, we will treat time as another space direction, which is the main idea of space-time methods. First, we will briefly discuss how exactly the vectorial wave equation is derived from Maxwell’s equations in a space-time structure, taking into account Ohm’s law. Then we will derive a space-time variational formulation for the vectorial wave equation using different trial and test spaces. This paper has two main goals. First, we prove unique solvability for the resulting Galerkin–Petrov variational formulation. Second, we analyze the discrete equivalent of the equation in a tensor product and show conditional stability, i.e., under a CFL condition. Understanding the vectorial wave equation and the corresponding space-time finite element methods is crucial for improving the existing theory of Maxwell’s equations and paves the way to computations of more complicated electromagnetic problems.

Space–time finite element method with domain reduction techniques for dynamic soil–structure interaction problems

AbstractDesign of earth structures, such as dams, tunnels, and embankments, against the vibrational loading caused by high‐speed trains, road traffic, underground explosions, and, more importantly, earthquake motion, demands solutions of the dynamic soil–structure Interaction (SSI) problem. This paper presents a velocity‐based space–time finite element procedure, v‐ST/finite element method (FEM), to solve dynamic SSI problems. The main goal of this study is to present the computation details of implementing viscous boundary conditions of Lysmer–Kuhlemeyer to truncate the unbounded soil domain. Furthermore, additional time‐dependent boundary conditions, in terms of the free‐field response, are included to facilitate energy flow from the far field to the computation domain at the vertical truncated boundaries. In the FEM, seismic input motion is applied to an effective nodal force vector, which can be obtained explicitly in the numerical simulations. Finally, the response of a concrete gravity dam resting on an elastic half‐space to the horizontal component of earthquake motion is computed and successfully compared with the results of semidiscrete FEM using the Newmark‐ method.

Goal-oriented adaptive space-time finite element methods for regularized parabolic p-Laplace problems

We consider goal-oriented adaptive space-time finite-element discretizations of the regularized parabolic p-Laplace problem on completely unstructured simplicial space-time meshes. The adaptivity is driven by the dual-weighted residual (DWR) method since we are interested in an accurate computation of some possibly nonlinear functionals at the solution. Such functionals represent goals in which engineers are often more interested than the solution itself. The DWR method requires the numerical solution of a linear adjoint problem that provides the sensitivities for the mesh refinement. This can be done by means of the same full space-time finite element discretization as used for the primal non-linear problems. The numerical experiments presented demonstrate that this goal-oriented, full space-time finite element solver efficiently provides accurate numerical results for different functionals.

An energy-efficient GMRES–multigrid solver for space-time finite element computation of dynamic poroelasticity

We present and analyze computationally Geometric MultiGrid (GMG) preconditioning techniques for Generalized Minimal RESidual (GMRES) iterations to space-time finite element methods (STFEMs) for a coupled hyperbolic–parabolic system modeling, for instance, flow in deformable porous media. By using a discontinuous temporal test basis, a time marching scheme is obtained. Higher order approximations that offer the potential to inherit most of the rich structure of solutions to the continuous problem on computationally feasible grids increase the block partitioning dimension of the algebraic systems, comprised of generalized saddle point blocks. Our V-cycle GMG preconditioner uses a local Vanka-type smoother. Its action is defined in an exact mathematical way. Due to nonlocal coupling mechanisms of 348 unknowns, the smoother is applied on patches of elements. This ensures damping of higher order error frequencies. By numerical experiments of increasing complexity, the efficiency of the solver for STFEMs of different polynomial order is illustrated and confirmed. Its parallel scalability is analyzed. Beyond this study of classical performance engineering, the solver’s energy efficiency is investigated as an additional and emerging dimension in the design and tuning of algorithms on the hardware.

Robust space-time finite element methods for parabolic distributed optimal control problems with energy regularization

As in our previous work (SINUM 59(2):660–674, 2021) we consider space-time tracking optimal control problems for linear parabolic initial boundary value problems that are given in the space-time cylinder Q=Ω×(0,T)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$Q = \\Omega \ imes (0,T)$$\\end{document}, and that are controlled by the right-hand side zϱ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$z_\\varrho $$\\end{document} from the Bochner space L2(0,T;H-1(Ω))\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$L^2(0,T;H^{-1}(\\Omega ))$$\\end{document}. So it is natural to replace the usual L2(Q)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$L^2(Q)$$\\end{document} norm regularization by the energy regularization in the L2(0,T;H-1(Ω))\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$L^2(0,T;H^{-1}(\\Omega ))$$\\end{document} norm. We derive new a priori estimates for the error ‖u~ϱh-u¯‖L2(Q)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\Vert \\widetilde{u}_{\\varrho h} - \\overline{u}\\Vert _{L^2(Q)}$$\\end{document} between the computed state u~ϱh\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\widetilde{u}_{\\varrho h}$$\\end{document} and the desired state u¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\overline{u}$$\\end{document} in terms of the regularization parameter ϱ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\varrho $$\\end{document} and the space-time finite element mesh size h, and depending on the regularity of the desired state u¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\overline{u}$$\\end{document}. These new estimates lead to the optimal choice ϱ=h2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\varrho = h^2$$\\end{document}. The approximate state u~ϱh\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\widetilde{u}_{\\varrho h}$$\\end{document} is computed by means of a space-time finite element method using piecewise linear and continuous basis functions on completely unstructured simplicial meshes for Q. The theoretical results are quantitatively illustrated by a series of numerical examples in two and three space dimensions. We also provide performance studies for different solvers.

Space-Time Finite Element Methods for Distributed Optimal Control of the Wave Equation

Space-Time Finite Element Methods for Distributed Optimal Control of the Wave Equation

LC v-ST/FEM: a third-order accurate dissipation-controlled velocity-based space-time finite element method for solid dynamics and earthquake engineering problems

LC v-ST/FEM: a third-order accurate dissipation-controlled velocity-based space-time finite element method for solid dynamics and earthquake engineering problems

Optimal Dirichlet boundary control by Fourier neural operators applied to nonlinear optics

We present an approach for solving optimal boundary control problems of nonlinear optics by using deep learning. For computing high resolution approximations of the solution to the nonlinear wave model, we propose higher order space-time finite element methods in combination with collocation techniques. Thereby, Cl-regularity in time of the global discrete solution is ensured. The simulation data is used to train solution operators that effectively leverage the higher regularity of the data. The solution operator is represented by Fourier Neural Operators and can be used as the forward solver in the optimal Dirichlet boundary control problem.The proposed algorithm is implemented and tested on high-performance computing platforms, with a focus on efficiency and scalability. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated on the problem of generating Terahertz radiation in periodically poled Lithium Niobate. The neural network is used as the solver in the optimal control setting to optimize the parametrization of the optical input pulse and maximize the yield of 0.3THz-frequency radiation.We exploit the periodic layering of the crystal to design the neural networks. The networks are trained to learn the propagation through one period of the layers. The recursive application of the network onto itself yields an approximation to the full problem. Our results indicate that the proposed method can achieve a speedup by a factor of 360 compared to classical methods. A comparison of our results to experimental data shows the potential to revolutionize the way we approach optimization problems in nonlinear optics.

Solver algorithm for stabilized space-time formulation of advection-dominated diffusion problem

This article shows how to develop an efficient solver for a stabilized numerical space-time formulation of the advection-dominated diffusion transient equation. At the discrete space-time level, we approximate the solution using higher-order continuous B-spline basis functions in both spatial and temporal dimensions. This problem is very difficult to solve numerically using the standard Galerkin finite element method due to artificial oscillations present when the advection term dominates the diffusion term. However, a first-order constraint least-square formulation allows us to obtain numerical solutions avoiding oscillations. The advantages of space-time formulations are the use of high-order methods and the feasibility of developing space-time mesh adaptive techniques on well-defined discrete problems. We develop a solver for a least-square formulation to obtain a stabilized and symmetric problem on finite element meshes. The computational cost of our solver is bounded by the cost of the inversion of the space-time mass and stiffness (with one value fixed at a point) matrices and the cost of the GMRES solver applied for the symmetric and positive definite problem. We illustrate our findings on an advection-dominated diffusion space-time model problem and present two numerical examples: one with isogeometric analysis discretizations and the second one with an adaptive space-time finite element method.

An H1-Galerkin Space-Time Mixed Finite Element Method for Semilinear Convection–Diffusion–Reaction Equations

In this paper, the semilinear convection–diffusion–reaction equation is split into a lower-order system by introducing the auxiliary variable q=a(x)ux. An H1-Galerkin space-time mixed finite element method for the lower-order system is then constructed. The proposed method applies the finite element method to discretize the time and space directions simultaneously and does not require checking the Ladyzhenskaya–Babusˇka–Brezzi (LBB) compatibility constraints, which differs from the traditional mixed finite element method. The uniqueness of the approximate solutions u and q are proven. The L2(L2) norm optimal order error estimates of the approximate solution u and q are derived by introducing the space-time projection operator. The numerical experiment is presented to verify the theoretical results. Furthermore, by comparing with the classical H1-Galerkin mixed finite element scheme, the proposed scheme can easily improve computational accuracy and time convergence order by changing the basis function.

Nonlinear parallel-in-time simulations of multiphase flow in porous media

As the number of processors on supercomputers has increased dramatically, there is a growing interest in developing scalable algorithms with a high degree of parallelism for extreme-scale reservoir simulation. However, traditional simulators and algorithms for such nonlinear problems are usually based on the family of time-marching methods, where parallelization is restricted to the spatial dimension only. In this paper, we propose a family of parallel-in-time (PinT) reservoir algorithms for solving multiphase flow problems in porous media to fully exploit the parallelism of supercomputers, in which the design of efficient nonlinear and linear space-time algorithms plays an essential role. More precisely, we first introduce a space-time mixed finite element method for the fully-implicit discretization. The nonlinear system arising at each parallel-in-time step is solved by a variant of bound-preserving Newton methods with a nonlinear elimination preconditioner, where the corresponding linear system is solved by the space-time restricted additive Schwarz (stRAS) method. Since the straightforward extension of one-level stRAS to multilevel does not work because of the pollution effects from the temporal direction, we accordingly present a nonstandard V-cycle multilevel stRAS method with a pollution-removing strategy to accelerate the convergence and improve the robustness. Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate that the aforementioned parallel-in-time algorithm can not only achieve a high degree of parallelism in accurately resolving reservoir transport features in a heterogeneous medium, but also successfully circumvent the convergence and scalability issues associated with the constraint of large time steps and the boundedness requirement of the solution.

A finite element framework for fluid–membrane interactions involving fracture

We propose a novel framework for investigating fluid–membrane interactions involving fracture, and apply it to simulate initial stages during the bursting of a balloon. Fluid flow is computed using a stabilized space–time finite element method over a body-fitted mesh. The membrane is modelled as a hyperelastic material and the equations are solved using the standard Galerkin method. Structural failure is incorporated using the element deletion technique based on a simple strain based criterion. Change in topology of the fluid domain due to element deletion is handled without resorting to remeshing. The coincident fluid nodes on either side of the deleted membrane elements on the surface of the balloon are connected, thereby allowing the fluid to gush through the opening. First, fluid–membrane interaction, without failure, in a square sail with fixed edges is studied. The sail exhibits vibration owing to vortices shed from its edges. We then study the inflation and deflation of a spherical balloon equipped with an inlet pipe. A hydrostatic pressure gradient is applied to drive the flow into the balloon. Effect of different values of membrane density, stiffness and the hydrostatic pressure gradient on inflation rate and balloon shape is studied. The bursting of the inflated balloon is initiated by deleting one structural element on its surface. The proposed algorithm is then applied to simulate the subsequent dynamics of the fluid–membrane system.

Modeling the dynamic magneto-mechanical response of magnetic shape memory alloys based on Hamilton’s principle: The numerical algorithm

This paper is the second part of a variational modeling work on the dynamic magneto-mechanical response of magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMA). In the first part of this series work, the governing equations system for modeling the dynamic response of MSMA samples has been derived based on Hamilton’s principle, which contains the Maxwell’s equations, the magneto-mechanic equations, the evolution equations of internal variables and the twin interface motion criteria. In this paper, we aim to conduct comprehensive numerical simulations on the dynamic magneto-mechanical response of MSMA samples. To solve the governing system, the space–time finite element method is applied and a double-loop iterative numerical algorithm is proposed. By using this algorithm, the independent variables in the governing system and the motion of twin interfaces in the MSMA sample can be determined separately and iteratively. Besides that, a specific discretization of the sample is adopted to simplify the calculation of variant state distribution in the sample. To show the efficiency of the numerical algorithm, the magneto-mechanical response of a MSMA sample in stress-assisted dynamic field loading tests and field-assisted dynamic mechanical loading tests are studied. Based on the numerical results, some global response curves of the MSMA sample are plotted, which show good consistency with the experimental results. Furthermore, the current configuration of the sample and the distributions of some important physical fields in the sample can be simulated. The current work will be helpful for the design of novel actuators or energy harvesters with MSMA.

A scale-coupled numerical method for transient close-contact melting

We introduce a numerical workflow to model and simulate transient close-contact melting processes based on the space-time finite element method. That is, we aim at computing the velocity at which a forced heat source melts through a phase-change material. Existing approaches found in the literature consider a thermo-mechanical equilibrium in the contact melt film, which results in a constant melting velocity of the heat source. This classical approach, however, cannot account for transient effects in which the melting velocity adjusts itself to equilibrium conditions. With our contribution, we derive a model for the transient melting process of a planar heat source. We iteratively cycle between solving for the heat equation in the solid material and updating the melting velocity. The latter is computed based on the heat flux in the vicinity of the heat source. The motion of the heated body is simulated via the moving mesh strategy referred to as the Virtual Region Shear-Slip Mesh Update Method, which avoids remeshing and is particularly efficient in representing unidirectional movement. We show numerical examples to validate our methodology and present two application scenarios, a 2D planar thermal melting probe and a 2D hot-wire cutting machine.

A Space-Time Finite Element Method for the Fractional Ginzburg–Landau Equation

A fully discrete space-time finite element method for the fractional Ginzburg–Landau equation is developed, in which the discontinuous Galerkin finite element scheme is adopted in the temporal direction and the Galerkin finite element scheme is used in the spatial orientation. By taking advantage of the valuable properties of Radau numerical integration and Lagrange interpolation polynomials at the Radau points of each time subinterval In, the well-posedness of the discrete solution is proven. Moreover, the optimal order error estimate in L∞(L2) is also considered in detail. Some numerical examples are provided to evaluate the validity and effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.

High-definition simulation of packed-bed liquid chromatography

Numerical simulations of chromatography are conventionally performed using reduced-order models that homogenize aspects of flow and transport in the radial and angular dimensions. This enables much faster simulations at the expense of lumping the effects of inhomogeneities into a column dispersion coefficient, which requires calibration via empirical correlations or experimental results. We present a high-definition model with spatially resolved geometry. A stabilized space–time finite element method is used to solve the model on massively parallel high-performance computers. We simulate packings with up to 10,000 particles. The impact of particle size distribution on velocity and concentration profiles as well as breakthrough curves is studied. Our high-definition simulations provide unique insight into the process. The high-definition data can also be used as a source of ground truth to identify and calibrate appropriate reduced-order models that can then be applied for process design and optimization.

Space–time computational flow analysis: Unconventional methods and first-ever solutions

The Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space–Time (DSD/SST) method was introduced in 1990 as a moving-mesh method for computational analysis of flows with moving boundaries and interfaces (MBI), which is a wide class of problems that includes fluid–particle and fluid–structure interactions and free-surface and multi-fluid flows. The method was inspired by Thomas Hughes’s 1987 work on space–time finite element methods for elastodynamics. The original DSD/SST method is now called “ST-SUPS”, reflecting its stabilization components, which are the Streamline-Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) method, pioneered by Hughes, and the Pressure-Stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) method, inspired by Hughes’s work on a Stokes-flow Petrov–Galerkin formulation allowing equal-order interpolations for velocity and pressure. Hughes’s work on the residual-based variational multiscale (RBVMS) method inspired the ST-VMS method, which is the VMS version of the DSD/SST. A number of special methods were introduced in connection with the core methods ST-SUPS and ST-VMS. Hughes’s work on isogeometric analysis (IGA) inspired one of those special methods, the “ST-IGA”, with IGA basis functions not only in space but also in time. The core and special ST methods enabled first-ever solutions in some of the most challenging classes of MBI problems, including particle-laden flows, spacecraft parachute fluid–structure interactions, and car and tire aerodynamics. We provide an overview of the ST methods inspired by Hughes’s work and highlight some of the first-ever solutions in these three classes of MBI problems.

A Space-Time Multiscale Mortar Mixed Finite Element Method for Parabolic Equations

We develop a space-time mortar mixed finite element method for parabolic problems. The domain is decomposed into a union of subdomains discretized with nonmatching spatial grids and asynchronous time steps. The method is based on a space-time variational formulation that couples mixed finite elements in space with discontinuous Galerkin in time. Continuity of flux (mass conservation) across space-time interfaces is imposed via a coarse-scale space-time mortar variable that approximates the primary variable. Uniqueness, existence, and stability as well as a priori error estimates for the spatial and temporal errors are established. A space-time nonoverlapping domain decomposition method is developed that reduces the global problem to a space-time coarse-scale mortar interface problem. Each interface iteration involves solving in parallel space-time subdomain problems. The spectral properties of the interface operator and the convergence of the interface iteration are analyzed. Numerical experiments are provided that illustrate the theoretical results and the flexibility of the method for modeling problems with features that are localized in space and time.