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AriefIntroduc ontotheWeakForm
ChienLiu|Novemer19,2014

Thiianintroductiontotheweakformforthoeofuwhodidntgrowupuingfinite
elementanaliandvectorcalculuinourdaillive,utarenevertheleinteretedin
learningaouttheweakform,withthehelpofomephicalintuitionandaic
calculu.

AouttheWeakForm,rie
FormanofthedifferenttpeofphicimulatedwithCOMOLMultiphic,a
weakformulation,orweakform,iuedehindthecenetocontructthe
mathematicalmodel.Undertandingtheweakformwillhelpugaininightintohow
theCOMOLoftwareworkinternallawellaenaleutowriteourownequation
whenthereinouiltininterfaceavailalefortheparticularphicinvolvedinour
model.
Youmaaloeinteretedinreadingmcolleagueettinachiechelog
potThetrengthoftheWeakForm.

Aimplexample
Letconideraconcreteexampleof1Dheattranferatteadtatewithnoheat

Letconideraconcreteexampleof1Dheattranferatteadtatewithnoheat
ource.pecificall,weareinteretedinthetemperature, ,aafunctionofthe
poition inthedomaindefinedtheinterval
.Forimplicit,weaume
theheatconductivitiunit.Then,theheatflux, ,inthepoitivexdirectionigiven
thegradientofthetemperature :
(1)
andtheconervationoftheheatflux(withnoheatourceinthedomain)impla
(2)
Thiithemainequationthatwewanttoolve.Itolutionwillgiveuthe
temperatureprofilewithinthedomain.quationofthiformappearinmandifferent
dicipline.Forexample,inelectrotatic, ireplacedtheelectricpotentialand
theelectricfield,whileinelaticit, ecomethediplacementand ecome
thetre.
Here,wetarttoeewhCOMOLMultiphiccanolvecoupledmultiphic
proleminareeze:Nomatterwhatphicalmechanimareinvolved,theare
modeledequationandoncetheequationarewrittendown,thecane
dicretizedandolvedtraightforwardlthecorealgorithmoftheCOMOL
oftware.
omereadermaakwhwechoethieemingltooimpleofanexample,whoe
analticalolutioncaneeailotainedverimplemathorphicalargument.
Thereaonitwofold:

1.Wewanttofocuonthecentralideaoftheweakformandnoteditracted
themathofacomplicatedphicaltem.
2.Inuequentpot,wewillexpandtheexampletomorethanonedomain
todemontratethecouplingetweentwoequationtemthroughtheir
oundarcondition.tartingwithamorecomplicatedexamplenowwill
almotcertainlocurethecentralthemelaterwhentheexamplei
expanded.

TheWeakFormula on
quation(2)involvethefirtderivativeoftheheatflux, ,ortheecondderivativeof
thetemperature, ,whichmacauenumericaliueinpracticalituationwherethe
differentiailitofthetemperatureprofilemaelimited.Forexample,ataoundar
wheretheadjacentmaterialhavedifferentvalueofthermalconductivit,thefirt
derivativeofthetemperature ecomedicontinuouandtheecondderivativeof
cannoteevaluatednumericall.Themainideaoftheweakformitoturnthe

cannoteevaluatednumericall.Themainideaoftheweakformitoturnthe
differentialequationintoanintegralequation,oatoleentheurdenonthe
numericalalgorithminevaluatingderivative.
Toturnthedifferentialequation(2)intoanintegralequation,anaivefirtapproach
maetointegrateitovertheentiredomain
:

Thiakthattheaveragevalueof

intheentiredomainizero.Indeed,iteem

tooweakacomparedtotheoriginaldifferentialequation,whichakthat
houldezeroeverwhereintheinterval
.Toimproveuponit,wecanak
inteadthattheaveragevalueof
inavernarrowdomainizero,a,

Theintegralonlinvolvethevalueof
inthevicinitof
relationaoverequireitnottoetoofarawafromzero:

.Thu,the
.xtending

theameideatoalllocationintheentiredomain
,weeethattheoriginal
differentialequationmaeapproximatedaetofintegralequation,likethi:
(3)
Thehigherthenumerofintegralequationintheet,theettertheapproximation.In
thelimitoftheinfinitenumerofuchintegralequation,werecovertheoriginal
differentialequation.Iticumeromeorevenimpoiletowriteoutalltheintegral
equationintheet,utwecanappltheameideainadifferentwa.
Themainideaitoamplethevalueof
inanarrowrange.Thiidone
integratingitoveranarrowrangeinq.(3)aove.Theamekindofamplingcane
donemultiplingtheintegrandaweightfunction
thatinontrivialonlin
anarrowrange,ahownpictoriallelow:

Then,wecanintegratetheproduct
foravarietofweightfunction

overtheentiredomain
.achweightfunctionlimitthecontriutionof

theintegrandtoanarrowrangecenteredaroundadifferent value,thuachieving
theameeffectathecollectionofintegralequationinq.(3).Thileadutothe
weakformulation,whichtatethattherelation
(4)
houldholdforaetofweightfunction
evervalueof

,a

,commonlcalledtetfunction.For

,wecanchooeatetfunction

thatianarrow

weightfunctioncenteredaround
.Pluggingthitetfunctionintoq.(4)
wouldamplethevalueof
inthevicinitof
andorequireitnotto
etoofarawafromzero:
.
pluggingalargenumerofnarrowweightfunctionatetfunctionintoq.(4),
eachcenteredatadifferentlocationintheinterval
,thevalueofthe
function
willeclampeddowntozeroeverwherewithinthedomain.

Footnote:Inthepictureaove,weintentionallplotted

aanaritrar

curve,notthefinalolutiontotheequation,toemphaizethefactthatwe
haventfoundtheolutionet.Lateronintheolutionproce,thiaritrar
curvewillepuhedupanddownacollectionoftetfunctiontoreachthe
hapeofthefinalolution.

ReducingOrderofDieren a on
Notethattheorderofdifferentiationintheintegrandofq.(4)itilltheameain
q.(2)(afterall,ittheamefunction
),utitcanereduceduingthemethod
ofintegrationpart:
(5)
Now,thereinoderivativeoftheheatflow, ,intheequation,orintermofthe
temperature, ,theorderofdifferentiationireducedfromtwotoone.Whataout
thefirtderivativeofthetetfunction
,whichjutnowappearedintheequation?
Awehaveeeninthepreviouection,thetetfunctionerveaatoolforutofind
theolutiontotheequation.Thu,wehavethefreedomtochooeanconvenientl
differentialeformforit.

NaturaloundarCondi on
Thefirttwotermofq.(5)involvetheheatfluxandtetfunctionatthedomain
oundarie
and
,withtheheatflux, ,definedinthepoitivex
direction.Wecanrewritethemintermofthefluxgoingoutofthedomainandmove
themtotherighthandide:
(6)
Here, itheoutgoingflux,andtheucript and repreentthedomain
oundarie
and
,repectivel
.
Alo,wehaveuedtheheatfluxrelation(1)towritetheintegrandintermofthe
temperature, ,andittetfunction, .Therighthandideoftheequationprovide
anaturalwatoaignoundarconditionintermoftheheatflux.Theimpletito
etoth

and

tozerotogetinulatingoundarcondition(noheatfluxthrough

etoth and
theoundarie).

tozerotogetinulatingoundarcondition(noheatfluxthrough

ThiiexactlthereaonwhinCOMOLMultiphicthedefaultoundarcondition
forheattranferiThermalInulation,theoneforolidmechaniciFree(no
oundarforce),andtheoneforfluidflowiWall(zeroflowacrotheoundar).
Thikindofoundarcondition,whichpecifiethefluxorforce(thefirtderivativeof
thevarialeeingolved),icommonlcalledthenaturaloundarconditionorthe
Neumannoundarcondition.

FixedoundarCondi on
Anothertpeofoundarcondition,commonlcalledthefixedoundarconditionor
theDirichletoundarcondition,pecifiethevalueofthevarialeeingolved.Inour
currentexample,itpecifiethevalueofthetemperatureatapointontheoundar.
Thikindofoundarconditioniuuallneededtoetupawellpoedprolemwitha
uniqueolution.Forexample,influidflow,weneedtopecifthepreureomewhere
(notjuttheflow);andinolidmechanic,weneedtopecifthediplacement
omewhere(notjuttheforce).
Awehaveeenintheexample,theweakformulationprovideanaturalwato
peciftheheatfluxataoundar.Howdowepecifafixedtemperatureata
oundar,then?
Thetrickitotakeadvantageofthemathematicaltructureofthenaturaloundar
conditionandappltheameideaofuingtetfunctiontoclampdowntheolution.
Conceptuall,tomaintainafixedtemperatureataoundarpoint,acertainheatflux
comingfromtheoutideoftheoundarineededtocompenatefortheheatflux
inideoftheoundar.Theweakformulationpoetheprolemathi:Findtheheat
fluxneededtomaintainthefixedtemperatureattheoundarpoint.
Forexample,ifwewanttopeciftheoutgoingflux toe at
andthe
temperature toe at
,thenweintroduceanewunknownvariale and
itcorrepondingtetfunction ,andwriteq.(6)a:
(7)
Here,ontherighthandide,thefirttermpecifietheoutgoingfluxof at
andtheecondtermpecifietheunknownfluxat
;othtermcomedirectl
fromthenaturaloundarconditiontermontherighthandideofq.(6).

Thenewvariale repreenttheunknownheatfluxtoedeterminedatthe
oundar
.Thethirdtermiaddedtotheequationtoforcetheolutiontoe
at
meanofthetetfunction intheamefahionaintheearlier
dicuionaoutthetetfunction

CommentonHigherDimenion
ofar,wehaveeendicuingaverimpleonedimenionalexample.Inhigher
dimenion,uchaa2Durfacedomainora3Dvolumedomain,theequation
ecomemorecomplicated,uttheaicidearemaintheame.
Theweakformulationturnadifferentialequationintoanintegralequation.Integration
partreducetheorderofdifferentiationtoprovidenumericaladvantage,and
generatenaturaloundarconditionforpecifingfluxeattheoundarie.Inthe
imple1Dexample,theoundarithetwoendpointandthefluxiainglevalueat
eachpoint.
In2Dand3D,theoundarithecloedcurveandthecloedurfaceencloingthe
domain,repectivel.Therighthandideofq.(6)ecomethelineorurfaceintegral
oftheincomingfluxdenit,inotherword,thetotalincomingflux.Ineence,the
proceofintegrationpartin2Dand3Duethedivergencetheoremtootainthe
lineorurfaceintegralofthefluxattheoundarofthemodelingdomain.
Inthilogpot,wechoetheimple1Dexampleothatthecentralideawouldnte
ocuredthecomplexitofthemath.

ummarandNextUp
Toda,welearnedaouttheideaoftheweakformulationofuingtetfunctionto
clampdowntheolution.Integratingtheweakformpartprovidethenumerical
enefitofreduceddifferentiationorder.Italoprovideanaturalwatopecif
oundarconditionintermofthefluxeorforce(thefirtderivativeofthe
varialeeingolved),theocallednaturaloundarconditionortheNeumann
oundarcondition.
Whenolvingapracticalprolem,itoftenneceartopecifthevarialeeing
olvednotjutitderivativeviatheocalledfixedoundarconditionorthe
Dirichletoundarcondition.Weawthattheweakformulationuetheame
mechanimoftetfunctionanditnaturaloundarconditiontocontructadditional
termforthefixedoundarcondition.

ofar,wehavelefttheequationintheiroriginalanalticalformwithoutan
numericalapproximation.Inthenextlogpot,wewillimplementtheweakform
equation(7)inCOMOLMultiphictoolveitnumericall.Afterthat,wewilldicu
howthenumericalapproximationidoneinternall,howtheameprolemcane
olvedindifferentwa,andhowdifferentoundarconditioncaneetupfor
differenttpeofprolem.

PotCategorie
CoreFunctionalit quationaedModeling

PotTag
TechnicalContent|WeakForm

PreviouPot
WorkingwithImportedCADDeign

NextPot
ModelingThermallInducedFocal
hiftinHighPoweredLaertem

Comment

FelipeeltranMejiaDecemer22,2014at4:42pm
ThankouChien,
Thiiagreatpot!
Icantwaitforournextpotimplementingallthetheorexpoedhere.

Felipe.

FelipeeltranMejiaDecemer22,2014at4:45pm
Jutamallcomment,IwouldntueTaatetfunctioninceourare
alreaduingitfortemperature.ometimeitiaitconfuing.
Thankagain,


Felipe.

ChienLiuJanuar5,2015at9:24am
DearFelipe,
Thankouforourencouragingcomment!
Iticommontoaddatilde(~)ontopofthemoltorepreentittet
function,whichiwhatwedidhereforthetemperaturefunctionT.
CoulditethatomehowthetildeontopofthemolTdoenot
howupinourwerower?Youhouldealetoeethetildein
thelaelfortheverticalaxiinthedrawing.Theametildehoulde
preentinthetext,forexample,afteraweightfunctionright
eforethedrawing.
Happnewear!
Chien

RogelioHernandezAguirreJanuar27,2015at10:28pm
ofar,theetexplanationeverfortheWeakform!!
ravo!

PerrGaoAugut1,2015at8:30am
DearChien,
Thankforourgreatpot!
Ihaveaquetionaoutnaturaloundarconditionwhen
implementingweakforminComol4.3.
In4.3,thedefaultoundarconditionizeroflux,andidefineda:
dot(normalunitvector,flux)=0.HoweverIcouldntfindthedefinition

offluxhere.Iitthegradiantofthedependentvariale?oriti
derivedfromtheweakformIgave?
Ifitithelaterone,howiitimplemented?
Thankagain!

ChienLiuAugut3,2015at8:23am
DearPerr,
Thankforthecomment.Thedefaultzerofluxoundarconditioni
implementeddoingnothinginotherwordleavingtherighthand
ideofq.(6)azero.Iftherearemorepecificquetionpleaedonot
heitatetocontactuat
upport@comol.com
incerel,
Chien

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