Finite Element Techniques for Fluid Flow

Finite Element Techniques for Fluid Flow describes the advances in the applications of finite element techniques to fluid mechanics. Topics covered range from weighted residual and variational methods to interpolation functions, inviscid fluids, and flow through porous media. The basic principles and governing equations of fluid mechanics as well as problems related to dispersion and shallow water circulation are also discussed. This text is comprised of nine chapters; the first of which explains some basic definitions and properties as well as the basic principles of weighted residual and variational methods. The reader is then introduced to the simple finite element concepts and models, and gradually to more complex applications. The chapters that follow focus on the governing equations of fluid flow, the solutions to potential type problems, and viscous flow problems in porous media. The solutions to more specialized problems are also presented. This book also considers how circulation problems can be tackled using finite elements, presents a solution to the mass transfer equation, and concludes with an explanation of how to solve general transient incompressible flows. This source will be of use to engineers, applied mathematicians, physicists, self-taught students, and research workers.