Investigation of the Stabilization Parameters of the Stabilized Finite Element Formulations
Author
Curlett, Tracee Lee
Date
2011Advisor
Tezduyar, Tayfun E.
Degree
Master of Science
Abstract
The Team for Advanced Flow Simulation and Modeling at Rice University specializes
in finite element computation of complex problems, relying on stabilized formulations
such as the streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin and pressure-stabilizing/PetrovGalerkin
methods. These stabilization methods involve a stabilization parameter, T.
Alternatives to the currently-used T definitions were provided in terms of element-level
matrices and vectors. An extensive investigation of these stabilization parameters is
performed with comparison to currently-used T definitions to determine their performance.
Numerical data is reported to evaluate the behavior of these alternative
stabilization parameters with changing element size, type, and distortion. This is
accomplished through evaluation of the matrix-assembly outcome and test computations,
with focus on boundary layer behavior. Test calculations are carried out in
the context of a time-dependent advection-diffusion equation and the N avier-Stokes
equations of incompressible flows, for both the semi-discrete formulation and the
Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space-Time method.
Keyword
Mechanical engineering; Materials science