Preprint No. A-99-18

Barbara Wohlmuth, Rolf Krause

Multigrid Methods Based on the Unconstrained Product Space Arising from Mortar Finite Element Discretizations

Abstract: The mortar finite element method allows the coupling of different discretizations across subregion boundaries. In the original mortar approach, the Lagrange multiplier space enforcing a weak continuity condition at the interfaces is defined as a modified finite element trace space. Here, we present a new approach, where the Lagrange multiplier space is replaced by a dual space without loosing the optimality of the a priori bounds. Using the biorthogonality between the nodal basis functions of this Lagrange multiplier space and a finite element trace space, we derive an equivalent symmetric positive definite variational problem defined on the unconstrained product space. The introduction of this formulation is based on a local elimination process for the Lagrange multiplier. This equivalent approach is the starting point for the efficient iterative solution by a multigrid method. To obtain level independent convergence rates for the ${\cal W}$--cycle, we have to define suitable level dependent bilinear forms.

Keywords: mortar finite elements, Lagrange multiplier, dual space, non--matching triangulations, multigrid methods, level dependent bilinear forms

Mathematics Subject Classification (MSC91): 65N15 Error bounds , 65N30 Finite elements, Rayleigh-Ritz and Galerkin methods, finite methods

Language: ENG

Available: Pr-A-99-18.ps

Contact: Krause, Rolf, Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik, Arnimallee 2-6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany (krause@math.fu-berlin.de)

[Home Page] - [Up] - [Search] - [Help] - Created: 20000113 -