The Extended Finite Element Method:

An Introduction and Overview

Dr.-!ng. Thomas-Peter Fries
Research group: Numerical methods for discontinuities
Narch 11, 2009
Computational Analysis
of Technical Systems
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 2
Research project
Title: ,Numerical methods for discontinuities in
continuum mechanics.
Since Oct. 2006 supported by the Emmy-Noether
program of the DFG.
+-5 years, currently 5 doctoral positions.
Nethod-oriented research:
Higher-order XFEN, time-integration, treatment of shocks and
boundary layers, new formulations (corrected XFEN, intrinsic
XFEN).
Application-oriented research:
Two-phase flows, free-surface flows, fluid-structure
interaction, crack propagation.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 3
Notivation
Field quantities change discontinuously across boundaries
and interfaces.
Cracks
Naterial
Fluid-structure
interfaces
Examples:
Two-phase
flows interaction
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: +
Notivation
How to handle these situation with classical FEN?
!nterface tracking: topology must not change.
!nterface capturing: refinement needed.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 5
!n classical FEN, mesh construction and maintenance
are crucial for the success.
The XFEN avoids mesh manipulations and adjusts the
approximation space.
Notivation
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 6
The XFEN: Background
Basic idea of enriched methods: !f complex solution
characteristics are known a priori, the approximation
space can be enriched accordingly.
The enrichment can be done globally or locally.
Global: Partition of
Unity Nethod (PUN)
Local: Extended Finite
Element Nethod (XFEN)
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 7
The enrichment can be extrinsic or intrinsic.
classical FEN
standard XFENfPUN
The XFEN: Background
intrinsic XFENfPUN
[Fries, Belytschko, !JNNE, 2006|
[Fries, Belytschko, Comp. Nech., 2007|
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 8
The XFEN: Definition
The standard XFEN extends the approximation
extrinsically by adding more terms:
additional
unknowns
enrichment
with
where is the enrichment function.
and define a particular realization of the XFEN.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 9
XFEM for discontinuities
The XFEN: Definition
is the set of nodes of all cut elements.
:
!nterface def.
by
depends on the level-set function for the
definition of the interface:
Weak discontinuities:
Strong discontinuities:
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 10
The XFEN: Some facts
What is different in an XFEN-code (compared to FEN)?
Enrichment functions are evaluated.
Special integration rules are used for cut elements.
The number of DOFs per node varies (element matrices,
overall system of equations).
Possibly the post-processing.
Special considerations may be needed for...
...applying boundaryfinterface conditions.
...choosing appropriate time-integration schemes.
...bad condition numbers in some situations.
[Fries, Zilian,
!JNNE, 2009|
[Zilian, Fries,
!JNNE, 2009|
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 11
The XFEN: Applications
The XFEN has been used in many different fields.
Solid mechanics: cracks, material interfaces, shear
bands, solidification, dislocations.
Fluid mechanics: Two-phase flows, fluid-structure
interaction, free surface flows.
Bio-mechanics: Bone fracture, virtual surgery, biofilms.
Optimization and inverse problems.
etc.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 12
Problem statement: Structure is floating on the free
surface of an incompressible fluid.
water
Which boundary condition?
How to realize mesh-mesh-sliding?
XFEN for floating body simulations
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 13
XFEN for floating body simulations
water water
,air
Problem statement: Structure is floating on the free
surface of an incompressible fluid.
Reformulate as a two-phase flow problem with a fully
immersed structure: Artificial fluid (,air) has negligable
density and viscosity.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 1+
XFEN for floating body simulations
The fluid-fluid interface is defined implicitly by the level-set
method, the fluid-structure interface is meshed explicitly.
The large difference in the viscosity 8 density of the two
fluids leads to severe kinks in the velocity 8 pressure fields.
Use the ,Corrected XFEN in order to capture these kinks.
[Fries, !JNNE, 2007|
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 15
XFEN for floating body simulations
Test-case: Object falling onto free surface.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 16
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 17
The corrected XFEM
Blending elements.
Definition of the corrected XFEN.
Numerical results
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 18
Blending elements
Recall standard XFEN-approximation:
!n the domain, one may separate
Standard finite elements: No enriched nodes
Reproducing elements: All nodes are enriched.
Blending elements: Some nodes are enriched.
:
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 19
Blending elements:

can not be reproduced.

Blending elements
Reproducing elements:

can be reproduced exactly.

Unwanted terms are introduced.
These terms considerably decrease the accuracy.
Exception: Enrichment function is constant in the blending
elements, e.g. sign-enrichment.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 20
Blending elements
1D example: Bi-material bar.
For : quad. term cannot be compensated by strd FE part.
For : enrichment is deactivated.
blending element
linear linear quadratic
blending element
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 21
Corrected XFEN
The corrected XFEN has no problems in blending elements.
The approximation is
Two differences:
A modified enrichment function is used.
A different set of nodes is enriched.
[Fries, !JNNE, 2007|
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 22
Corrected XFEN
Step 1: Modification of the enrichment function.
The enrichment function is modified
with the ramp function
is unchanged in reproducing elements.
in the standard finite elements.
varies continuously inbetween.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 23
Corrected XFEN
Step 2: Choice of the enriched nodes.
!n the modified XFEN, all nodes of the reproducing and
blending elements are enriched.
Element nodes of elements
that share nodes with .
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 2+
Corrected XFEN
Properties of the modified approximation:
!n elements with only some of their nodes in , is
zero no unwanted terms.
!n strd. XFEN: !n elements with only some of their nodes
in , is non-zero unwanted terms.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 25
Corrected XFEN
Properties of the modified approximation:
The functions build a partition of unity in the blending
and reproducing elements. can be reproduced
exactly everywhere in the domain.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 26
Corrected XFEN: Discontinuities
are the element nodes of cut elements.
for weak discontinuities.
for strong discontinuities.
and follow immediately.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 27
Numerical Results: 1d Bi-material Bar
The exact solution can be found with the modified XFEN.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 28
Numerical results: Summary
Optimal convergence rates have been achieved with the
corrected XFEN in the following applications:
Solid mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 29
Conclusions
The XFEN manipulates the approximation space but not
the mesh. No mesh refinement in regions with high
gradients, no mesh alignment with discontinuities.
This is achieved by a local, extrinsic enrichment through
the partition of unity concept.
A particular realization of the XFEN is defined by the
choice of the enriched nodes and the enrichment
functions.
The XFEN can be used successfully for the simulation of
floating bodies.
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 30
XFEN-activities in 2009 where our group is involved:
ECCONAS thematic conference ,XFEN 2009 in
Sept. 2009 in Aachen.
www.xfem2009.rwth-aachen.de
3-day seminar on the XFEN in Nay 2009 in
Braunschweig.
www.xfem.rwth-aachen.de
Conclusions
Narch 11, 2009 T. Fries, !ntroduction and Overview of the XFEN Slide: 31
References
T.P. Fries, T. Belytschko: The !ntrinsic XFEN: A Nethod
for Arbitrary Discontinuities without Additional
Unknowns, !nternat. J. Numer. Nethods Engrg., 68,
1358-1385, 2006.
T.P. Fries, T. Belytschko: The !ntrinsic Partition of Unity
Nethod, Comput. Nech., +0, 803-81+, 2007.
T.P. Fries: A Corrected XFEN Approximation without
Problems in Blending Elements, !nternat. J. Numer.
Nethods Engrg., 75, 503-532, 2007.
T.P. Fries, A. Zilian: On time-integration in the XFEN,
!nternat. J. Numer. Nethods Engrg., accepted.