Reliable and Efficient Averaging Techniques as Universal Tool for a Posteriori Finite Element Error Control on Unstructured Grids
Year: 2006
Author: Carsten Carstensen
International Journal of Numerical Analysis and Modeling, Vol. 3 (2006), Iss. 3 : pp. 333–347
Abstract
The striking simplicity of averaging techniques in a
posteriori error control of finite element methods as well as their
amazing accuracy in many numerical examples over the last decade have
made them an extremely popular tool in scientific computing. Given a
discrete stress or flux $P_h$ and a post-processed approximation $A(p_h)$,
the a posteriori error estimator reads $\eta_A := ||p_h - A(p_h)||$. There is not even a need
for an equation to compute the estimator $\eta_A$ and hence averaging
techniques are employed everywhere. The most prominent example is
occasionally named after Zienkiewicz and Zhu, and also called gradient
recovery but preferably called averaging technique in the literature.
The first mathematical justification of the error estimator $\eta_A$ as a
computable approximation of the (unknown) error $||p - p_h||$ involved the concept of
superconvergence points. For highly structured meshes and a very smooth
exact solution $p$, the error $||p -
A(p_h)||$ of the post-processed approximation $Ap_h$ may be (much) smaller than $||p -
p_h||$ of the given $p_h$. Under the assumption
that $||p - A(p_h)||$=
h.o.t. is in relative terms sufficiently small, the triangle inequality
immediately verifies reliability, i.e.,
$|| p-p_h || \leq C_{rel} \eta_A + $h.o.t.,
and efficiency, i.e.,
$\eta_A \leq C_{eff} || p-p_h || +$ h.o.t.,
of the averaging error estimator $\eta_A$. However, the required
assumptions on the symmetry of the mesh and the smoothness of the
solution essentially contradict the use of adaptive grid refining when $p$ is singular and the proper treatment of boundary conditions remains unclear.
This paper aims at an actual overview on the reliability and efficiency
of averaging a posteriori error control for unstructured grids. New
aspects are new proofs of the efficiency of all averaging techniques and
for all problems.
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Journal Article Details
Publisher Name: Global Science Press
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/2006-IJNAM-905
International Journal of Numerical Analysis and Modeling, Vol. 3 (2006), Iss. 3 : pp. 333–347
Published online: 2006-01
AMS Subject Headings: Global Science Press
Copyright: COPYRIGHT: © Global Science Press
Pages: 15
Keywords: a posteriori error estimate efficiency finite element method gradient recovery averaging operator mixed finite element method non-conforming finite element method.