Distinguished Seminar in Computational Science and Engineering
November 16, 2023, 12 PM
Immersed Finite Element Methods: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recent Advances
John Evans
Associate Professor
Jack Rominger Faculty Fellow
Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract:
Immersed finite element methods have emerged as a powerful alternative to classical finite element methods. As immersed finite element methods employ background meshes that do not conform to geometric boundaries or material interfaces, they avoid the high computational cost associated with the generation of a high-quality body-fitted mesh. Immersed finite element methods also allow for the simulation of physical systems that are difficult if not impossible to simulate using classical finite element methods. For instance, immersed finite element methods can be applied to the simulation of blood flow past the valves in the human heart as well as the movement of blood cells through a human capillary. That all said, immersed finite element methods do not come without their own challenges. In this talk, Prof. Evans will introduce the fundamentals of immersed finite element methods, present obstacles to their widespread adoption, and discuss current research activities aiming to overcome these obstacles. He will additionally showcase various applications that highlight the promise of immersed finite element methods.
Bio:
John Evans is an Associate Professor, the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Curriculum, and the Jack Rominger Faculty Fellow in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. Before joining the University of Colorado Boulder, he received a PhD in Computational and Applied Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011, where he was also a postdoctoral fellow from 2012-2013. His research interests lie at the intersection of computational mechanics, geometry, and approximation theory. His current research focuses on isogeometric and immersed finite element methods and data-driven modeling with application to fluid dynamics, fluid-structure interaction, and turbulence modeling and simulation. He has won a number of awards for his research and teaching including the 2021 Gallagher Young Investigator Award from the United States Association for Computational Mechanics and the 2021 AIAA Rocky Mountain Educator of the Year, and he is currently Editor of the journal Engineering with Computers.
Immersed Finite Element Methods: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recent Advances
John Evans
University of Colorado Boulder