A unified derivation of Voronoi, power, and finite-element Lagrangian computational fluid dynamics

TL;DR

This paper unifies various Lagrangian fluid dynamics methods by deriving a framework that connects Voronoi, power diagrams, and finite-element approaches, revealing new force terms and improving simulation accuracy.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic derivation linking Voronoi, power diagrams, and finite-element methods within a unified framework, including new force terms enhancing existing models.

Findings

pFEM outperforms other methods in standard tests

Additional spring-like force improves simulation accuracy

Unified framework clarifies connections between different CFD approaches

Abstract

Most approaches in Lagrangian fluid dynamics simulations proceed from the definition of particle volumes, from which discrete versions of the spatial differential operators are derived. Recently, Gallou\"et and M\'erigot [1] simultaneously tackled physical dynamics and geometrical optimization, with the result that the pressure field is linked to a geometric feature: the weights of a power diagram. Their resulting dynamics, surprisingly, does not feature a pressure gradient, but spring-like forces between each particle and the centroid of its cell. Inspired by this work, both geometrical and mechanical optimization are here included within a framework due to Arroyo and Ortiz [2]. In a systematic way, we first find a connection with the smoothed particle hydrodynamics method. In what we will call the ``low-temperature limit'', we show that the requirement of zeroth order consistency leads to the Voronoi diagram, and a pressure field enforcing incompressibility leads to Gallou\"et and M\'erigot's method. If the requirement of first order consistency is added, the particle finite element method (pFEM) is recovered. However, it features an additional spring-like term that has been missing from previous formulations of the method. Different methods are tested on two standard inviscid single-phase cases:the rotating Gresho vortex \added{and the Taylor-Green vortex sheet}, showing the superiority of pFEM, which is slightly increased by the additional force found here.