Implicit upper bound error estimates for combined expansive model and discretization adaptivity

A computational methodology for goal-oriented combined discretization and expansive (refined) model adaptivity by overall implicit error control of quantities of interest is presented, requiring estimators of primal and dual discretization and model errors. In the case of dimensional within model adaptivity, prolongations of coarse model solutions into the solution space of a fine model for defining a consistent model error are necessary, which can be achieved at the element level by two strategies. The first one is an orthogonalized kinematic prolongation of nodal displacements, whereas the second one uses prolongations of the external loads which are then used to solve additional local variational problems thus yielding prolongated solutions which a priori fulfill the required orthogonality relations at the element level. Finally, a numerical example of an elastic continuous T-beam is presented with comparative results where goal-oriented error estimation is applied to linear elasticity with a 2(1)/(2) D discrete Reissner-Mindlin plate model as the coarse model and the 3D theory as the fine model. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.