Low-regularity finite element elasticity complexes with hybridizable stresses on tetrahedral Alfeld splits
For researchers in numerical methods for elasticity, this work provides more efficient finite element discretizations by reducing regularity requirements and polynomial degrees, though it is an incremental improvement over existing complexes on Alfeld splits.
This paper constructs low-regularity finite element elasticity complexes on tetrahedral Alfeld splits, lowering both Sobolev regularity and polynomial degrees compared to existing complexes, while producing hybridizable symmetric stress spaces without vertex degrees of freedom. The construction yields explicit dimension formulas and commuting interpolation diagrams for two families of complexes.
Finite element elasticity complexes of low regularity are constructed on tetrahedral Alfeld splits. In comparison with existing three-dimensional elasticity complexes on such splits, the complexes constructed here lower both the Sobolev regularity and the polynomial degrees, while ending in a hybridizable $H({\rm div};\mathbb S)$-conforming symmetric stress space with no vertex degrees of freedom. The construction is obtained from local Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand arguments applied to polynomial de Rham complexes on the Alfeld split. Two local polynomial elasticity complexes are proved: an $H^2$-$H^1({\rm inc})$ complex and a lower-regularity $H^1({\rm curl})$-$H({\rm inc}^+)$ complex. Their bubble subcomplexes and dimension formulas are derived. These local exact sequences lead to unisolvent finite elements for the displacement and incompatibility spaces and to global finite element subcomplexes of the corresponding elasticity sequences. In the lowest-order $H^1({\rm curl})$-$H({\rm inc}^+)$ finite element complex, the $H({\rm inc}^+;\mathbb S)$-conforming tensor space is piecewise cubic. At the same order, the terminal stress-displacement pair recovers the Johnson-Mercier-Křížek element, while the construction covers higher-order hybridizable symmetric stresses for all $k\ge1$. A second family gives a low-regularity $H^1$-$H({\rm inc})$ finite element complex for the standard elasticity sequence for all $k\ge2$. Commuting interpolation diagrams are established for both global complexes.