2010

1.a) How is the data represented in typical finite volume methods for CFD? What errors due to discretisation do you expect and how do they scale? Explain the difference between a first order and a second order accurate discretisation. Are there any situations where these errors vanish? [11 marks] b) Describe 3 criteria of grid quality and give some examples (sketch). How do they affect the solution? If possible, explain why they affect the solution and quantify what levels of these criteria are tolerable. Also discuss why in general we have to compromise on these criteria and have to accept mesh quality that is not ideal. [11 marks] c) Describe the steps a user has to go through when setting up and running a CFD solution on a given mesh and give typic al examples of the aspects that need to be defined. [11 marks] 2.c) Explain the Saint Venants principle and its role in finite element analysis. [7 marks] d) Explain the Von Mises stress and discuss its use in the finite element analysis. [13 marks]

2009
a) Explain the principle of the finite volume method. What is it based on, how are values represented and what are the characteristics of the finite volume method? [11 marks] b) Describe the steps that are undertaken by a CFD code during one timestep. [11 marks] c) Describe the steps a user has to go through when setting up and running a CFD solution on a given mesh and give typical examples of the aspects that need to be defined. [11 marks] 3.Shape functions play a major role in the finite element analysis: a) Describe shape functions for a 1D two noded element. [11 marks] b) Define shape functions for 2D three noded element. [11 marks] c) Introduce isoparametric finite element concept and describe it using 2D triangle. [11 marks] Explain the principle of minimum potential energy. [7 marks] c) Explain the principle of virtual work. [7 marks] d) Explain Saint-Venants principle and its importance for finite element analysis. [8 marks]

2008
1.In linear elastic finite element analysis the displacement field is approximated as a linear combination of base (shape) functions. From these stress and strain fields over finite elements are calculated and equilibrium is formulated in terms of nodal forces. a) List at least three alternative formulations of equilibrium equations. [10 marks] b) Describe the method of weighted residuals. [10 marks] c) Describe the Galerkin method. [7 marks] d) Explain the reasons why Gaussian integration is commonly used in FEM codes. [6 marks] Your discussion should be accompanied with equations and figures where necessary. 2. In linear elastic stress analysis using the finite element method the solid domain is meshed into finite elements. a) Give an example of a plane stress problem and describe how it is modelled using the finite element method. [7 marks] b) What is element connectivity, how is it usually expressed and how does it influence the bandwidth of the stiffness matrix? [10 marks] c) Describe the shape functions used with a constant strain triangle finite element in 2D. [10 marks] d)Describe isoparametric representation of coordinates of material points inside the constant strain triangle finite element. [6 marks] Your discussion should be accompanied with equations and figures where necessary. 3.a) Explain what a truncation error is. How is it relevant to CFD simulations? How does it behave under mesh refinement? [11 marks] c) Explain what artificial viscosity is and why it is present in CFD simulations. Give 3 examples how you can reduce it. [11 marks] c) How does the mesh influence the CFD solution? Give 3 examples of mesh quality criteria and explain what they are. [11 marks] 4.a) Explain what the wall-unit y+ is in viscous flows. What units does it have? Give the equation. [15 marks] c) State and motivate the wall spacing requirements for turbulence modelling with wall-functions. [9 marks] c) State and explain the wall spacing requirements for turbulence modelling without wall-functions using near-wall treatment.

2007
1.The finite element method is often formulated as a special case of Galerkin method. (a) Describe the Galerkin method. [30 marks] (b) Explain the role of the base functions. [10 marks] (c) Explain the residual and the role of test functions. [10 marks] Your discussion should be accompanied with equations and figures where necessary. 2.In linear elastic stress analysis using the finite element method a system of linear algebraic equations is obtained. (a) Describe the components of this system of equations. [8 marks] (b) Describe the Conjugate gradient method in detail. [30 marks]