The Application of the Finite Element Technique to Potential Flow Problems. Part 1

Abstract

In this report, the finite element method is applied to field problems governed by Laplace's equation, and in particular, to potential flow in fluid mechanics. The conditions under which the variational method may be used are examined for Dirichlet, Neumann and mixed boundary conditions, and for both singly- and multiply-connected regions. The discretisation of the field, using finite elements of triangular form is developed, and the resulting equations are solved. A computer program based on this analysis has been developed and is fully described in a subsequent report. This program will solve a two-dimensional potential field for simple or mixed boundary conditions and for singly- or multiply-connected regions. It may be used for multiple-body flow fields, such as aerofoil cascades, with boundary constraints such as the Kutta condition.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1969
Accession Number
ADA953409

Entities

People

  • D. H. Norrie
  • G. De Vries

Organizations

  • University of Calgary

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Calculus
  • Calculus Of Variations
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Differential Equations
  • Dirichlet Integral
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Flow Fields
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Mechanics
  • Potential Flow
  • Two Dimensional
  • Variational Methods
  • Variational Principles

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)