Automation of finite element analysis based on a fully adaptive <i>p</i>-refinement procedure can reduce the magnitude of discretization error to the desired accuracy with minimum computational cost and computer resources. This study aims to 1) develop an efficient <i>p</i>-refinement procedure with a non-uniform <i>p</i> analysis capability for solving 2-D and 3-D elastostatic mechanics problems, and 2) introduce a stress error estimate. An element-by-element algorithm that decides the appropriate order for each element, where element orders can range from 1 to 8, is described. Global and element data structures that manage the complex data generated during the refinement process are introduced. These data structures are designed to match the concept of object-oriented programming where data and functions are managed and organized simultaneously. The stress error indicator introduced is found to be more reliable and to converge faster than the error indicator measured in an energy norm called the residual method. The use of the stress error indicator results in approximately 20% fewer degrees of freedom than the residual method. Agreement of the calculated stress error values and the stress error indicator values confirms the convergence of final stresses to the analyst. The error order of the stress error estimate is postulated to be one order higher than the error order of the error estimate using the residual method. The mapping of a curved boundary element in the working coordinate system from a square-shape element in the natural coordinate system results in a significant improvement in the accuracy of stress results. Numerical examples demonstrate that refinement using non-uniform <i>p</i> analysis is superior to uniform <i>p</i> analysis in the convergence rates of output stresses or related terms. Non-uniform <i>p</i> analysis uses approximately 50% to 80% less computational time than uniform <i>p</i> analysis in solving the selected stress concentration and stress intensity problems. More importantly, the non-uniform <i>p</i> refinement procedure scales the number of equations down by 1/2 to 3/4. Therefore, a small scale computer can be used to solve equation systems generated using high order <i>p</i>-elements. In the calculation of the stress intensity factor of a semi-elliptical surface crack in a finite-thickness plate, non-uniform <i>p</i> analysis used fewer degrees of freedom than a conventional <i>h</i>-type element analysis found in the literature. / Ph. D.

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The vector finite element method has gained great attention since overcoming the deficiencies incurred by the scalar basis functions for the vector Helmholtz equation. Most implementations of vector FEM have been non-adaptive, where a mesh of the domain is generated entirely in advance and used with a constant degree polynomial basis to assign the degrees of freedom. To reduce the dependency on the users' expertise in analyzing problems with complicated boundary structures and material characteristics, and to speed up the FEM tool, the demand for adaptive FEM grows high. For efficient adaptive FEM, error estimators play an important role in assigning additional degrees of freedom. In this proposal study, hierarchical vector basis functions and four error estimators for p-refinement are investigated for electromagnetic applications.

Lors de simulations numériques d’ordre élevé, la discrétisation sous-paramétrique du domaine de calcul peut générer des erreurs dominant l’erreur liée à la discrétisation des variables. De nombreux travaux proposent d’utiliser l’analyse isogéométrique afin de mieux représenter les géométries et de résoudre ce problème.Nous présenterons dans ce travail le couplage du schéma aux résidus distribués limité et stabilisé de Lax-Frieirichs avec l’analyse isogéométrique. En particulier, nous construirons une famille de fonctions de base permettant de représenter exactement les coniques et définies tant sur les éléments triangulaires que quadrangulaires : les fonctions de base de Bernstein rationnelles. Nous nous intéresserons ensuite à la génération de maillages précis pour l’analyse isogéométrique. Notre méthode consiste à créer un maillage courbe à partir d’un maillage linéaire par morceaux de la géométrie. Le maillage obtenu en sortie de notre procédure est non-structuré, conforme et assure la continuité de nos fonctions de base sur tout le domaine. Pour finir, nous décrirons les différentes méthodes d’adaptation de maillages développées : l’élévation d’ordre et le raffinement isotrope. Bien évidemment, la géométrie exacte du maillage courbe d’entrée est préservée au cours des processus d’adaptation. / During high order simulations, the approximation error may be dominated by the errors linked to the sub-parametric discretization used for the geometry representation. Many works propose to use an isogeometric analysis approach to better represent the geometry and hence solve this problem. In this work, we will present the coupling between the limited stabilized Lax-Friedrichs residual distributed scheme and the isogeometric analysis. Especially, we will build a family of basis functions defined on both triangular and quadrangular elements and allowing the exact representation of conics : the rational Bernstein basis functions. We will then focus in how to generate accurate meshes for isogeometric analysis. Our idea is to create a curved mesh from a classical piecewise-linear mesh of the geometry. We obtain a conforming unstructured mesh which ensures the continuity of the basis functions over the entire mesh. Last, we will detail the curved mesh adaptation methods developed : the order elevation and the isotropic mesh refinement. Of course, the adaptation processes preserve the exact geometry of the initial curved mesh.