Section: New Results

Isogeometric analysis and design

Participants : Régis Duvigneau, Asma Gdhami, Bernard Mourrain [Galaad Project-Team] , Bernd Simeon [Tech. Univ. of Kaiserslautern] .

Design optimization stands at the crossroad of different scientific fields (and related software): Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) or Computational Structural Dynamics (CSM), parametric optimization. However, these different fields are usually not based on the same geometrical representations. CAD software relies on Splines or NURBS representations, CFD and CSM software uses grid-based geometric descriptions (structured or unstructured), optimization algorithms handle specific shape parameters. Therefore, in conventional approaches, several information transfers occur during the design phase, yielding approximations that can significantly deteriorate the overall efficiency of the design optimization procedure. Moreover, software coupling is often cumbersome in this context.

The isogeometric approach proposes to definitely overcome this difficulty by using CAD standards as a unique representation for all disciplines. The isogeometric analysis consists in developing methods that use NURBS representations for geometric modeling, computational domain description and solution basis functions. Using such a unique data structure allows to compute the solution on the exact geometry (not a discretized geometry), obtain a more accurate solution (high-order approximation), reduce spurious numerical sources of noise that deteriorate convergence, avoid data transfers between the software. Moreover, NURBS representations are naturally hierarchical and allows to define multi-level algorithms for solvers as well as optimizers.

In this context, a collaborative work has also been carried out with the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, concerning the computation of shape gradients for linear elasticity problems[42] , [68] . Moreover, the doctoral thesis of Asma Gdhami, in collaboration with ENIT in Tunisia, has started and concerns the development of isogeometric schemes for hyperbolic systems.