Susanne Claus

Erik Burman, Susanne Claus, André Massing

We propose a Nitsche-based fictitious domain method for the three field Stokes problem in which the boundary of the domain is allowed to cross through the elements of a fixed background mesh. The dependent variables of velocity, pressure and extra-stress tensor are discretised on the background mesh using linear finite elements. This equal order approximation is stabilized using a continuous interior penalty (CIP) method. On the unfitted domain boundary, Dirichlet boundary conditions are weakly enforced using Nitsche's method. We add CIP-like ghost penalties in the boundary region and prove that our scheme is inf-sup stable and that it has optimal convergence properties independent of how the domain boundary intersects the mesh. Additionally, we demonstrate that the condition number of the system matrix is bounded independently of the boundary location. We corroborate our theoretical findings with numerical examples.

Susanne Claus, Pierre Kerfriden

In this article, we present a cut finite element method for two-phase Navier-Stokes flows. The main feature of the method is the formulation of a unified continuous interior penalty stabilisation approach for, on the one hand, stabilising advection and the pressure-velocity coupling and, on the other hand, stabilising the cut region. The accuracy of the algorithm is enhanced by the development of extended fictitious domains to guarantee a well defined velocity from previous time steps in the current geometry. Finally, the robustness of the moving-interface algorithm is further improved by the introduction of a curvature smoothing technique that reduces spurious velocities. The algorithm is shown to perform remarkably well for low capillary number flows, and is a first step towards flexible and robust CutFEM algorithms for the simulation of microfluidic devices.

Thomas Boiveau, Erik Burman, Susanne Claus et al.

In this paper, we consider a fictitious domain approach based on a Nitsche type method without penalty. To allow for high order approximation using piecewise affine approximation of the geometry we use a boundary value correction technique based on Taylor expansion from the approximate to the physical boundary. To ensure stability of the method a ghost penalty stabilization is considered in the boundary zone. We prove optimal error estimates in the $H^1$-norm and estimates suboptimal by $\mathcal{O}(h^{\frac12})$ in the $L^2$-norm. The suboptimality is due to the lack of adjoint consistency of our formulation. Numerical results are provided to corroborate the theoretical study.

Susanne Claus, Christopher Cantwell, Tim Phillips

Spectral/hp element methods and an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) moving-boundary technique are used to investigate planar Newtonian extrudate swell. Newtonian extrudate swell arises when viscous liquids exit long die slits. The problem is characterised by a stress singularity at the end of the slit which is inherently difficult to capture and strongly influences the predicted swelling of the fluid. The impact of inertia (0 <Re < 100) and slip along the die wall on the free surface profile and the velocity and pressure values in the domain and around the singularity are investigated. The high order method is shown to provide high resolution of the steep pressure profile at the singularity. The swelling ratio and exit pressure loss are compared with existing results in the literature and the ability of high-order methods to capture these values using significantly fewer degrees of freedom is demonstrated.

Susanne Claus, Pierre Kerfriden

In this paper, we propose a novel unfitted finite element method for the simulation of multiple body contact. The computational mesh is generated independently of the geometry of the interacting solids, which can be arbitrarily complex. The key novelty of the approach is the combination of elements of the CutFEM technology, namely the enrichment of the solution field via the definition of overlapping fictitious domains with a dedicated penalty-type regularisation of discrete operators, and the LaTIn hybrid-mixed formulation of complex interface conditions. Furthermore, the novel P1-P1 discretisation scheme that we propose for the unfitted LaTIn solver is shown to be stable, robust and optimally convergent with mesh refinement. Finally, the paper introduces a high-performance 3D level-set/CutFEM framework for the versatile and robust solution of contact problems involving multiple bodies of complex geometries, with more than two bodies interacting at a single point.

Susanne Claus, Samuel Bigot, Pierre Kerfriden

In this article, we develop a cut finite element method for one-phase Stefan problems, with applications in laser manufacturing. The geometry of the workpiece is represented implicitly via a level set function. Material above the melting/vaporisation temperature is represented by a fictitious gas phase. The moving interface between the workpiece and the fictitious gas phase may cut arbitrarily through the elements of the finite element mesh, which remains fixed throughout the simulation, thereby circumventing the need for cumbersome re-meshing operations. The primal/dual formulation of the linear one-phase Stefan problem is recast into a primal non-linear formulation using a Nitsche-type approach, which avoids the difficulty of constructing inf-sup stable primal/dual pairs. Through the careful derivation of stabilisation terms, we show that the proposed Stefan-Signorini-Nitsche CutFEM method remains stable independently of the cut location. In addition, we obtain optimal convergence with respect to space and time refinement. Several 2D and 3D examples are proposed, highlighting the robustness and flexibility of the algorithm, together with its relevance to the field of micro-manufacturing.