This thesis addresses an adaptive higher-order method based on a Geometry Independent Field approximatTion(GIFT) of polynomial/rationals plines over hierarchical T-meshes(PHT/RHT-splines). In isogeometric analysis, basis functions used for constructing geometric models in computer-aided design(CAD) are also employed to discretize the partial differential equations(PDEs) for numerical analysis. Non-uniform rational B-Splines(NURBS) are the most commonly used basis functions in CAD. However, they may not be ideal for numerical analysis where local refinement is required. The alternative method GIFT deploys different splines for geometry and numerical analysis. NURBS are utilized for the geometry representation, while for the field solution, PHT/RHT-splines are used. PHT-splines not only inherit the useful properties of B-splines and NURBS, but also possess the capabilities of local refinement and hierarchical structure. The smooth basis function properties of PHT-splines make them suitable for analysis purposes. While most problems considered in isogeometric analysis can be solved efficiently when the solution is smooth, many non-trivial problems have rough solutions. For example, this can be caused by the presence of re-entrant corners in the domain. For such problems, a tensor-product basis (as in the case of NURBS) is less suitable for resolving the singularities that appear since refinement propagates throughout the computational domain. Hierarchical bases and local refinement (as in the case of PHT-splines) allow for a more efficient way to resolve these singularities by adding more degrees of freedom where they are necessary. In order to drive the adaptive refinement, an efficient recovery-based error estimator is proposed in this thesis. The estimator produces a recovery solution which is a more accurate approximation than the computed numerical solution. Several two- and three-dimensional numerical investigations with PHT-splines of higher order and continuity prove that the proposed method is capable of obtaining results with higher accuracy, better convergence, fewer degrees of freedom and less computational cost than NURBS for smooth solution problems. The adaptive GIFT method utilizing PHT-splines with the recovery-based error estimator is used for solutions with discontinuities or singularities where adaptive local refinement in particular domains of interest achieves higher accuracy with fewer degrees of freedom. This method also proves that it can handle complicated multi-patch domains for two- and three-dimensional problems outperforming uniform refinement in terms of degrees of freedom and computational cost.

Isogeometric Analysis or IGA was introduced by Hughes et al. (2005) to facilitate efficient design-through-analysis cycles for engineered objects. The goal of this technology is the unification of geometric modeling and engineering analysis, and this is realized by exploiting smooth spline spaces used for the former as finite element spaces required for the latter. As intended, this allows the use of geometrically exact representations for the purpose of analysis. Several new spline constructions have been devised on grid-like meshes since IGA’s inception. The excellent approximation and robustness offered by them has rejuvenated the study of high order methods, and IGA has been successfully applied to myriad problems. However, an unintended consequence of adopting a splinebased design-through-analysis paradigm has been the inheritance of open problems that lie at the intersection of the fields of modeling and approximation using splines. The first two parts of this dissertation focus on two such problems: splines of non-uniform degree and splines on unstructured meshes. The last part of the dissertation is focused on phase field modeling of corrosion using splines. The development of non-uniform degree splines is driven by the observation that relaxing the requirement for a spline’s polynomial pieces to have the same degree would be very powerful in the context of both geometric modeling and IGA. This dissertation provides a complete solution in the univariate setting. A mathematically sound foundation for an efficient algorithmic evaluation of univariate non-uniform degree splines is derived. It is shown that the algorithm outputs a nonuniform degree B-spline basis and that, furthermore, it can be applied to create C1 piecewise-NURBS of non-uniform degree with B-spline-like properties. In the bivariate setting, a theoretical study of the dimension of non-uniform degree splines on planar T-meshes and triangulations is carried out. Combinatorial lower and upper bounds on the spline space dimension are presented. For T-meshes, sufficient conditions for the bounds to coincide are provided, while for triangulations it is shown that the spline space dimension is stable in sufficiently high degree. Modeling complex geometries using only quadrilaterals leads, in general, to unstructured meshes. In locally structured regions of the mesh, smooth splines can be built following standard procedures. However, there is no canonical way of constructing smooth splines on an unstructured arrangement of quadrilateral elements. This dissertation proposes new spline constructions for the two types of unstructuredness that can be encountered – polar points (i.e., mesh vertices that are collapsed edges) and extraordinary points (i.e., mesh vertices shared by μ ≠ 4 quadrilaterals). On meshes containing polar points, smooth spline basis functions that form a convex partition of unity are built. Numerical tests presented to benchmark the construction indicate optimal approximation behavior. On meshes containing extraordinary points, two spline spaces are built, one for performing modeling and the other for approximation. The former is contained in the latter to ensure adherence to the philosophy of IGA. Excellent approximation behavior is observed during numerical benchmarking. Finally, a phase field model for corrosion is derived from first principles using Gurtin’s microforce theory and a Coleman–Noll type analysis. The derivation is general enough to include the effect of, for instance, mechanics on the process of corrosion, and an instance of such a coupled model is presented

Isogeometric analysis (IGA) is a numerical method for solving partial differential equations (PDEs), which was introduced with the aim of integrating finite element analysis with computer-aided design systems. The main idea of the method is to use the same spline basis functions which describe the geometry in CAD systems for the approximation of solution fields in the finite element method (FEM). Originally, NURBS which is a standard technology employed in CAD systems was adopted as basis functions in IGA but there were several variants of IGA using other technologies such as T-splines, PHT splines, and subdivision surfaces as basis functions. In general, IGA offers two key advantages over classical FEM: (i) by describing the CAD geometry exactly using smooth, high-order spline functions, the mesh generation process is simplified and the interoperability between CAD and FEM is improved, (ii) IGA can be viewed as a high-order finite element method which offers basis functions with high inter-element continuity and therefore can provide a primal variational formulation of high-order PDEs in a straightforward fashion. The main goal of this thesis is to further advance isogeometric analysis by exploiting these major advantages, namely precise geometric modeling and the use of smooth high-order splines as basis functions, and develop robust computational methods for problems with complex geometry and/or complex multi-physics. As the first contribution of this thesis, we leverage the precise geometric modeling of isogeometric analysis and propose a new method for its coupling with meshfree discretizations. We exploit the strengths of both methods by using IGA to provide a smooth, geometrically-exact surface discretization of the problem domain boundary, while the Reproducing Kernel Particle Method (RKPM) discretization is used to provide the volumetric discretization of the domain interior. The coupling strategy is based upon the higher-order consistency or reproducing conditions that are directly imposed in the physical domain. The resulting coupled method enjoys several favorable features: (i) it preserves the geometric exactness of IGA, (ii) it circumvents the need for global volumetric parameterization of the problem domain, (iii) it achieves arbitrary-order approximation accuracy while preserving higher-order smoothness of the discretization. Several numerical examples are solved to show the optimal convergence properties of the coupled IGA-RKPM formulation, and to demonstrate its effectiveness in constructing volumetric discretizations for complex-geometry objects. As for the next contribution, we exploit the use of smooth, high-order spline basis functions in IGA to solve high-order surface PDEs governing the morphological evolution of vesicles. These governing equations are often consisted of geometric PDEs, high-order PDEs on stationary or evolving surfaces, or a combination of them. We propose an isogeometric formulation for solving these PDEs. In the context of geometric PDEs, we consider phase-field approximations of mean curvature flow and Willmore flow problems and numerically study the convergence behavior of isogeometric analysis for these problems. As a model problem for high-order PDEs on stationary surfaces, we consider the Cahn-Hilliard equation on a sphere, where the surface is modeled using a phase-field approach. As for the high-order PDEs on evolving surfaces, a phase-field model of a deforming multi-component vesicle, which consists of two fourth-order nonlinear PDEs, is solved using the isogeometric analysis in a primal variational framework. Through several numerical examples in 2D, 3D and axisymmetric 3D settings, we show the robustness of IGA for solving the considered phase-field models. Finally, we present a monolithic, implicit formulation based on isogeometric analysis and generalized-alpha time integration for simulating hydrodynamics of vesicles according to a phase-field model. Compared to earlier works, the number of equations of the phase-field model which need to be solved is reduced by leveraging high continuity of NURBS functions, and the algorithm is extended to 3D settings. We use residual-based variational multi-scale method (RBVMS) for solving Navier-Stokes equations, while the rest of PDEs in the phase-field model are treated using a standard Galerkin-based IGA. We introduce the resistive immersed surface (RIS) method into the formulation which can be employed for an implicit description of complex geometries using a diffuse-interface approach. The implementation highlights the robustness of the RBVMS method for Navier-Stokes equations of incompressible flows with non-trivial localized forcing terms including bending and tension forces of the vesicle. The potential of the phase-field model and isogeometric analysis for accurate simulation of a variety of fluid-vesicle interaction problems in 2D and 3D is demonstrated.

This book discusses the introduction of isogeometric technology to the boundary element method (BEM) in order to establish an improved link between simulation and computer aided design (CAD) that does not require mesh generation. In the isogeometric BEM, non-uniform rational B-splines replace the Lagrange polynomials used in conventional BEM. This may seem a trivial exercise, but if implemented rigorously, it has profound implications for the programming, resulting in software that is extremely user friendly and efficient. The BEM is ideally suited for linking with CAD, as both rely on the definition of objects by boundary representation. The book shows how the isogeometric philosophy can be implemented and how its benefits can be maximised with a minimum of user effort. Using several examples, ranging from potential problems to elasticity, it demonstrates that the isogeometric approach results in a drastic reduction in the number of unknowns and an increase in the quality of the results. In some cases even exact solutions without refinement are possible. The book also presents a number of practical applications, demonstrating that the development is not only of academic interest. It then elegantly addresses heterogeneous and non-linear problems using isogeometric concepts, and tests them on several examples, including a severely non-linear problem in viscous flow. The book makes a significant contribution towards a seamless integration of CAD and simulation, which eliminates the need for tedious mesh generation and provides high-quality results with minimum user intervention and computing.

“The authors are the originators of isogeometric analysis, are excellent scientists and good educators. It is very original. There is no other book on this topic.” —René de Borst, Eindhoven University of Technology Written by leading experts in the field and featuring fully integrated colour throughout, Isogeometric Analysis provides a groundbreaking solution for the integration of CAD and FEA technologies. Tom Hughes and his researchers, Austin Cottrell and Yuri Bazilevs, present their pioneering isogeometric approach, which aims to integrate the two techniques of CAD and FEA using precise NURBS geometry in the FEA application. This technology offers the potential to revolutionise automobile, ship and airplane design and analysis by allowing models to be designed, tested and adjusted in one integrative stage. Providing a systematic approach to the topic, the authors begin with a tutorial introducing the foundations of Isogeometric Analysis, before advancing to a comprehensive coverage of the most recent developments in the technique. The authors offer a clear explanation as to how to add isogeometric capabilities to existing finite element computer programs, demonstrating how to implement and use the technology. Detailed programming examples and datasets are included to impart a thorough knowledge and understanding of the material. Provides examples of different applications, showing the reader how to implement isogeometric models Addresses readers on both sides of the CAD/FEA divide Describes Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) basis functions

B-Spline and NURBS techniques have already been successfully used in Isogeometric Analysis which is a method for directly integrating CAD models in numerical simulations. Our purpose is to improve existing techniques to enhance the efficiency. First, we use local B-Spline subdivisions and knot insertions for the goal of achieving better accuracy in simulations where we concentrate on two and three dimensions. Our main emphasis is to keep the curved geometry describing the physical CAD domain intact during the whole simulation process. In order to avoid unnecessary global refinements, grids are allowed to be non-conforming. The treatment of nonmatching grids is done with the help of the interior penalty methods. Only local refinements are required during the adaptivity. To achieve that, an a-posteriori error indicator is introduced in order to dynamically evaluate the errors. That is, we use spline error gauge with the help of the de Boor-Fix functional. On the other hand, we allow mesh coarsenings at regions where a sparse mesh density is sufficient to achieve a prescribed accuracy. To obtain an optimal mesh, some method is described to choose the types of refinement which are likely to reduce the error most. That is done by accurately determining the bases of the enrichment spaces using non-uniform B-splines enhanced with discrete B-splines. That is, the space of approximation is hierarchically decomposed into a coarse space and an enrichment space. Finally, we report on some practical results from our implementations. Some adaptive grid refinements in 2D and 3D from problems such as internal layers are reported. Besides, we briefly describe the problems to encounter when handling real CAD models for IGA simulations. We address the problem of decomposing a CAD object into parametrized curved hexahedral blocks which can be subsequently used in mesh-free simulations. Some problems and extensions related to Boundary Element Method (BEM) which is treated on CAD or molecular surfaces are equally discussed.

An exploration of the new weighted approximation techniques which result from the combination of the finite element method and B-splines.