A corotational finite element approach coupled to a discrete forcing method to solve hyperelastic deformation induced by two-phase flow

We construct a Galerkin finite element method for the numerical approximation of weak solutions to a recent micro-macro bead-spring model for two-phase flow of dilute polymeric solutions derived by methods from nonequilibrium thermodynamics ([Grün, Metzger, M3AS 26 (2016) 823–866]). The model consists of Cahn-Hilliard type equations describing the evolution of the fluids and the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in a bounded domain in two or three spatial dimensions for the velocity and the pressure of the fluids with an elastic extra-stress tensor on the right-hand side in the momentum equation which originates from the presence of dissolved polymer chains. The polymers are modeled by dumbbells subjected to a finitely extensible, nonlinear elastic (FENE) spring-force potential. Their density and orientation are described by a Fokker-Planck type parabolic equation with a center-of-mass diffusion term. We perform a rigorous passage to the limit as the spatial and temporal discretization parameters simultaneously tend to zero, and show that a subsequence of these finite element approximations converges towards a weak solution of the coupled Cahn-Hilliard-Navier-Stokes-Fokker-Planck system. To underline the practicality of the presented scheme, we provide simulations of oscillating dilute polymeric droplets and compare their oscillatory behaviour to the one of Newtonian droplets.

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Variational multi-scale finite element method for the two-phase flow of polymer melt filling process

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat &amp Fluid Flow ◽

10.1108/hff-07-2019-0599 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 1407-1426 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Xuejuan Li ◽

Ji-Huan He

Keyword(s):

Finite Element Method ◽

Finite Element ◽

Numerical Method ◽

Two Phase Flow ◽

Polymer Melt ◽

Phase Flow ◽

Filling Process ◽

Two Phase ◽

Content Type ◽

Element Method

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an effective numerical algorithm for a gas-melt two-phase flow and use it to simulate a polymer melt filling process. Moreover, the suggested algorithm can deal with the moving interface and discontinuities of unknowns across the interface. Design/methodology/approach The algebraic sub-grid scales-variational multi-scale (ASGS-VMS) finite element method is used to solve the polymer melt filling process. Meanwhile, the time is discretized using the Crank–Nicolson-based split fractional step algorithm to reduce the computational time. The improved level set method is used to capture the melt front interface, and the related equations are discretized by the second-order Taylor–Galerkin scheme in space and the third-order total variation diminishing Runge–Kutta scheme in time. Findings The numerical method is validated by the benchmark problem. Moreover, the viscoelastic polymer melt filling process is investigated in a rectangular cavity. The front interface, pressure field and flow-induced stresses of polymer melt during the filling process are predicted. Overall, this paper presents a VMS method for polymer injection molding. The present numerical method is extremely suitable for two free surface problems. Originality/value For the first time ever, the ASGS-VMS finite element method is performed for the two-phase flow of polymer melt filling process, and an effective numerical method is designed to catch the moving surface.

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