Adaptive p-version based finite element formulations for thermal modeling/analysis of structural configurations

Adaptive p-version based hierarchial finite element formulations in conjunction with a posteriori error estimation concepts are described with emphasis on applicability for thermal modeling/analysis of structural configurations. The basic concepts and formulations of hierarchical p-version finite elements for thermal analysis are first described. A posteriori error estimation features are utilized to steer the process of adaptive refinement. Several configurations comprised of one-dimensional structures are evaluated to validate the applicability of the proposed formulations and to demonstrate the potential of the p-version adaptive formulations for thermal modeling/analysis. The methodology offers potential and promises to be an attractive to conventional finite element thermal modeling/analysis approaches.