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University of Houston

Trace finite element method for material surface flows

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This dissertation studies a geometrically unfitted finite element method (FEM), known as trace FEM, for the numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes problem posed on a closed smooth material surface. The key result proved is an inf-sup stability of the discrete formulation based on standard Taylor-Hood bulk elements, with the stability constant uniformly bounded w.r.t. the mesh parameter and position of the surface in the bulk mesh. Optimal order convergence rates follow from this new stability result and interpolation properties of the trace FEM. An augmented Lagrangian preconditioner which is robust w.r.t. variation of the Reynolds number is proposed, along with an efficient recycling strategy of the velocity matrix factorization. Eigenvalue bounds for the preconditioned Schur complement are derived. Properties of the proposed method are illustrated with numerical examples which include simulation of Kelvin--Helmholtz instability at different Reynolds numbers on a sphere and torus, as well as tangential flow induced by inextensible radial deformations of a surface.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy
Level thesis:degree_level
Doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mathematics
Grantor
University of Houston
Year dc:date.issued
2022

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Zhiliakov, Alexander
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Olshanskii, Maxim A.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Mamonov, Alexander V.
  • Mang, Andreas
  • Demlow, Alan

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • The author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. UH Libraries has secured permission to reproduce any and all previously published materials contained in the work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/10657/13640
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/13640

Chain of custody

source
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University of Houston
Base URL
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Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
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citation

Zhiliakov, Alexander. Trace finite element method for material surface flows. Doctoral thesis, University of Houston, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/10657/13640