The partition of unity finite element method for short wave acoustic propagation on non-uniform potential flows

A novel numerical method is proposed for modelling time-harmonic acoustic propagation of short wavelength disturbances on non-uniform potential flows. The method is based on the partition of unity finite element method in which a local basis of discrete plane waves is used to enrich the conventional finite element approximation space. The basis functions are local solutions of the governing equations. They are able to represent accurately the highly oscillatory behaviour of the solution within each element while taking into account the convective effect of the flow and the spatial variation in local sound speed when the flow is non-uniform. Many wavelengths can be included within a single element leading to ultra-sparse meshes. Results presented in this article will demonstrate that accurate solutions can be obtained in this way for a greatly reduced number of degrees of freedom when compared to conventional element or grid-based schemes. Numerical results for lined uniform two-dimensional ducts and for non-uniform axisymmetric ducts are presented to indicate the accuracy and performance which can be achieved. Numerical studies indicate that the ‘pollution’ effect associated with cumulative dispersion error in conventional finite element schemes is largely eliminated