Advanced numerical simulations that use adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) methods have now become routine in engineering and science. Originally developed for computational fluid dynamics applications these methods have propagated to fields as diverse as astrophysics, climate modeling, combustion, biophysics and many others. The underlying physical models and equations used in these disciplines are rather different, yet algorithmic and implementation issues facing practitioners are often remarkably similar. Unfortunately, there has been little effort to review the advances and outstanding issues of adaptive mesh refinement methods across such a variety of fields. This book attempts to bridge this gap. The book presents a collection of papers by experts in the field of AMR who analyze past advances in the field and evaluate the current state of adaptive mesh refinement methods in scientific computing.

A novel anisotropic adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) technique is proposed and de- scribed. A block-based AMR approach is used which permits highly efficient and scalable implementations on parallel computer architectures and the use of multi-block, body-fitted computational grids for the treatment of complex geometries. However, rather than adopting the more usual isotropic approach to the refinement of the grid blocks, the proposed approach uses a binary hierarchical tree data structure that allows for anisotropic refinement of the grid blocks in each of the coordinate directions in an inde- pendent fashion. This allows for more efficient and accurate treatment of narrow layers, discontinuities, and/or shocks in the solutions which occur, for example, in the thin boundary and mixing layers of high-Reynolds-number viscous flows and in the regions of strong non-linear wave interactions of high-speed compressible flows with shocks. The anisotropic AMR technique is implemented within an existing finite-volume framework, which encompasses both explicit and implicit solution methods, and is capable of per- forming calculations with both second- and higher-order spatial accuracy. To clearly demonstrate the potential and feasibility of the proposed AMR technique, it is applied to the unsteady and steady-state solutions of both a model system, the advection diffusion equation, as well as the Euler equations governing compressible, inviscid, gaseous flows, both in two space dimensions.

Simulation technology, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in particular, is essential in the search for solutions to the modern challenges faced by humanity. Revolutions in CFD over the last decade include the use of unstructured meshes, permitting the modeling of any 3D geometry. New frontiers point to mesh adaptation, allowing not only seamless meshing (for the engineer) but also simulation certification for safer products and risk prediction. Mesh Adaptation for Computational Dynamics 2 is the second of two volumes and introduces topics including optimal control formulation, minimizing a goal function, and extending the steady algorithm to unsteady physics. Also covered are multi-rate strategies, steady inviscid flows in aeronautics and an extension to viscous flows. This book will be useful to anybody interested in mesh adaptation pertaining to CFD, especially researchers, teachers and students.