Computational Partial Differential Equations : Numerical Methods and Diffpack Programming

During the last decades there has been a tremendous advancement of com­ puter hardware, numerical algorithms, and scientific software. Engineers and scientists are now equipped with tools that make it possible to explore real­ world applications of high complexity by means of mathematical models and computer simulation. Experimentation based on numerical simulation has become fundamental in engineering and many of the traditional sciences. A common feature of mathematical models in physics, geology, astrophysics, mechanics, geophysics, as weH as in most engineering disciplines, is the ap­ pearance of systems of partial differential equations (PDEs). This text aims at equipping the reader with tools and skills for formulating solution methods for PDEs and producing associated running code. Successful problem solving by means of mathematical models inscience and engineering often demands a synthesis of knowledge from several fields. Besides the physical application itself, one must master the tools of math­ ematical modeling, numerical methods, as weH as software design and im­ plementation. In addition, physical experiments or field measurements might play an important role in the derivation and the validation of models. This book is written in the spirit of computational sciences as inter-disciplinary activities. Although it would be attractive to integrate subjects like mathe­ matics, physics, numerics, and software in book form, few readers would have the necessary broad background to approach such a text. The target audience of this book is students and researchers in computational sciences who need to develop computer codes for solving partial differential equations. The exposition is focused on numerics and software related to mathematical models in solid and fluid mechanics. The book teaches finite element methods, and basic finite difference methods from a computational point of view. The main emphasis regards development of flexible computer programs, using the numerical library Diffpack. The application of Diffpack is explained in detail for problems including model equations in applied mathematics, heat transfer, elasticity, and viscous fluid flow. Diffpack is a modern software development environment based on C++ and object-oriented programming. All the program examples, as well as a test version of Diffpack, are available for free over the Internet. Front Matter....Pages I-XXIII Getting Started....Pages 1-108 Introduction to Finite Element Discretization....Pages 109-211 Programming of Finite Element Solvers....Pages 213-334 Nonlinear Problems....Pages 335-366 Solid Mechanics Applications....Pages 367-401 Fluid Mechanics Applications....Pages 403-456 Coupled Problems....Pages 457-490 Back Matter....Pages 491-685 Getting Started Introduction to Finite Element Discretization Programming of Finite Element Solvers Nonlinear Problems Solid Mechanics Applications Fluid Mechanics Applications Coupled Problems Mathematical Topics Diffpack Topics Iterative Methods for Sparse Linear Systems Software Tools for Solving Linear Systems.