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Modeling groundwater flow with a free and moving boundary using the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of the first-time application of the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method for simulations of groundwater flow with free and moving boundaries. The EFG method does not require any element or grid, therefore it eliminates time-consuming remeshing procedures in modeling of moving boundary problems. The EFG method employs time dependent shape functions based on the moving least square (MLS) approximations. A coupled EFG-FEM technique was used to treat Dirichlet boundary conditions that are difficult in the EFG method. The EFG method was verified by comparing numerical results with analytical solutions for a steady-state seepage problem. In order to demonstrate applicability of the EFG method dealing with flow problems with moving boundaries, a transient free-surface and seepage problem in an unconfined aquifer was simulated. Difficulties associated with modeling a free and moving irregular boundary have been successfully overcome by employing the EFG method.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, 47907-1397, West Lafayette, IN, U.S.A.

    Yu-Chul Park & Darrell I. Leap

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  1. Yu-Chul Park
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  2. Darrell I. Leap
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Correspondence to Yu-Chul Park.

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Park, YC., Leap, D.I. Modeling groundwater flow with a free and moving boundary using the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method. Geosci J 4, 243–249 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02910142

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02910142

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