Dra. Camaño-Valenzuela, Jessika

In this paper, we propose and analyze a new momentum conservative mixed finite element method for the Navier–Stokes problem posed in nonstandard Banach spaces. Our approach is based on the introduction of a pseudostress tensor relating the velocity gradient with the convective term, leading to a mixed formulation where the aforementioned pseudostress tensor and the velocity are the main unknowns of the system. Then the associated Galerkin scheme can be defined by employing Raviart–Thomas elements of degree K for the pseudostress tensor and discontinuous piece–wise polynomial elements of degree K for the velocity. With this choice of spaces, the equilibrium equation is exactly satisfied if the external force belongs to the velocity discrete space, thus the method conserves momentum, which constitutes one of the main feature of our approach. For both, the continuous and discrete problems, the Banach–Nečas–Babuška and Banach's fixed-point theorems are employed to prove unique solvability. We also provide the convergence analysis and particularly prove that the error decay with optimal rate of convergence. Further variables of interest, such as the fluid pressure, the fluid vorticity and the fluid velocity gradient, can be easily approximated as a simple postprocess of the finite element solutions with the same rate of convergence. Finally, several numerical results illustrating the performance of the method are provided.

In this article, we analyse an augmented mixed finite element method for the steady Navier–Stokes equations. More precisely, we extend the recent results from Camaño et al.. (2017, Analysis of an augmented mixed-FEM for the Navier–Stokes problem. Math. Comput., 86, 589–615) to the case of mixed no-slip and traction boundary conditions in different parts of the boundary, and introduce and analyse a new pseudostress–velocity-augmented mixed formulation for the fluid flow problem. The well-posedness analysis is carried out by combining the classical Babuška–Brezzi theory and Banach’s fixed-point theorem. A proper adaptation of the arguments exploited in the continuous analysis allows us to state suitable hypotheses on the finite element subspaces ensuring that the associated Galerkin scheme is well defined. For instance, Raviart–Thomas elements of order k≥0 k≥0 and continuous piecewise polynomials of degree k+1 k+1 for the nonlinear pseudostress tensor and velocity, respectively, yield optimal convergence rates. In addition, we derive a reliable and efficient residual-based a posteriori error estimator for the proposed discretization. The proof of reliability hinges on the global inf–sup condition and the local approximation properties of the Clément interpolant, whereas the efficiency of the estimator follows from inverse inequalities and localization via edge–bubble functions. A set of numerical results exemplifies the performance of the augmented method with mixed boundary conditions. The tests also confirm the reliability and efficiency of the estimator, and show the performance of the associated adaptive algorithm.

In this paper we propose and analyze a new augmented mixed finite element method for the Navier-Stokes problem. Our approach is based on the introduction of a “nonlinear-pseudostress” tensor linking the pseudostress tensor with the convective term, which leads to a mixed formulation with the nonlinear-pseudostress tensor and the velocity as the main unknowns of the system. Further variables of interest, such as the fluid pressure, the fluid vorticity and the fluid velocity gradient, can be easily approximated as a simple postprocess of the finite element solutions with the same rate of convergence. The resulting mixed formulation is augmented by introducing Galerkin least-squares type terms arising from the constitutive and equilibrium equations of the Navier-Stokes equations and from the Dirichlet boundary condition, which are multiplied by stabilization parameters that are chosen in such a way that the resulting continuous formulation becomes well-posed. Then, the classical Banach fixed point theorem and the Lax-Milgram lemma are applied to prove well-posedness of the continuous problem. Similarly, we establish well-posedness and the corresponding Cea estimate of the associated Galerkin scheme considering any conforming finite element subspace for each unknown. In particular, the associated Galerkin scheme can be defined by employing Raviart-Thomas elements of degree K for the nonlinear-pseudostress tensor and continuous piecewise polynomial elements of degree K + 1 for the velocity, which leads to an optimal convergent scheme. In addition, we provide two iterative methods to solve the corresponding nonlinear system of equations and analyze their convergence. Finally, several numerical results illustrating the good performance of the method are provided.

In this paper we propose and analyze a new mixed finite element method for a stationary magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) model. The method is based on the utilization of a new dual-mixed formulation recently introduced for the Navier-Stokes problem, which is coupled with a classical primal formulation for the Maxwell equations. The latter implies that the velocity and a pseudostress tensor relating the velocity gradient with the convective term for the hydrodynamic equations, together with the magnetic field and a Lagrange multiplier related with the divergence-free property of the magnetic field, become the main unknowns of the system. Then the associated Galerkin scheme can be defined by employing Raviart–Thomas elements of degree k for the aforementioned pseudostress tensor, discontinuous piecewise polynomial elements of degree k for the velocity, Nédélec elements of degree k for the magnetic field and Lagrange elements of degree k for the associated Lagrange multiplier. The analysis of the continuous and discrete problems are carried out by means of the Lax–Milgram lemma, the Banach–Nečas–Babuška and Banach fixed-point theorems, under a sufficiently small data assumption. In particular, the analysis of the discrete scheme requires a quasi-uniformity assumption on mesh. We also develop an a priori error analysis and show that the proposed finite element method is optimal convergent. Finally, some numerical results illustrating the good performance of the method are provided.

A new stress-based mixed variational formulation for the stationary Navier-Stokes equations with constant density and variable viscosity depending on the magnitude of the strain tensor, is proposed and analyzed in this work. Our approach is a natural extension of a technique applied in a recent paper by some of the authors to the same boundary value problem but with a viscosity that depends nonlinearly on the gradient of velocity instead of the strain tensor. In this case, and besides remarking that the strain-dependence for the viscosity yields a more physically relevant model, we notice that to handle this nonlinearity we now need to incorporate not only the strain itself but also the vorticity as auxiliary unknowns. Furthermore, similarly as in that previous work, and aiming to deal with a suitable space for the velocity, the variational formulation is augmented with Galerkin-type terms arising from the constitutive and equilibrium equations, the relations defining the two additional unknowns, and the Dirichlet boundary condition. In this way, and as the resulting augmented scheme can be rewritten as a fixed-point operator equation, the classical Schauder and Banach theorems together with monotone operators theory are applied to derive the well-posedness of the continuous and associated discrete schemes. In particular, we show that arbitrary finite element subspaces can be utilized for the latter, and then we derive optimal a priori error estimates along with the corresponding rates of convergence. Next, a reliable and efficient residual-based a posteriori error estimator on arbitrary polygonal and polyhedral regions is proposed. The main tools used include Raviart-Thomas and Clément interpolation operators, inverse and discrete inequalities, and the localization technique based on triangle-bubble and edge-bubble functions. Finally, several numerical essays illustrating the good performance of the method, confirming the reliability and efficiency of the a posteriori error estimator, and showing the desired behavior of the adaptive algorithm, are reported.

In this paper we develop an a posteriori error analysis of a new momentum conservative mixed finite element method recently introduced for the steady-state Navier–Stokes problem in two and three dimensions. More precisely, by extending standard techniques commonly used on Hilbert spaces to the case of Banach spaces, such as local estimates, and suitable Helmholtz decompositions, we derive a reliable and efficient residual-based a posteriori error estimator for the corresponding mixed finite element scheme on arbitrary (convex or non-convex) polygonal and polyhedral regions. On the other hand, inverse inequalities, the localization technique based on bubble functions, among other tools, are employed to prove the efficiency of the proposed a posteriori error indicator. Finally, several numerical results confirming the properties of the estimator and illustrating the performance of the associated adaptive algorithm are reported.

In this paper we analyze the numerical approximation of a saddle-point problem posed in non-standard Banach spaces H(divp , Ω) × Lq (Ω), where H(divp , Ω) := {τ ∈ [L2 (Ω)]n : divτ ∈ Lp(Ω)}, with p > 1 and q ∈ R being the conjugate exponent of p and Ω ⊆ Rn (n ∈ {2, 3}) a bounded domain with Lipschitz boundary Γ. In particular, we are interested in deriving the stability properties of the forms involved (inf-sup conditions, boundedness), which are the main ingredients to analyze mixed formulations. In fact, by using these properties we prove the well-posedness of the corresponding continuous and discrete saddle-point problems by means of the classical Babuška-Brezzi theory, where the associated Galerkin scheme is defined by Raviart-Thomas elements of order k ≥ 0 combined with piecewise polynomials of degree k. In addition we prove optimal convergence of the numerical approximation in the associated Lebesgue norms. Next, by employing the theory developed for the saddle-point problem, we analyze a mixed finite element method for a convection-diffusion problem, providing well-posedness of the continuous and discrete problems and optimal convergence under a smallness assumption on the convective vector field. Finally, we corroborate the theoretical results with suitable numerical results in two and three dimensions.