Augmented Lagrangian for shallow viscoplastic flow with topography

In this paper we have developed a robust numerical algorithm for the visco-plastic SaintVenant model with topography. For the time discretization an implicit (backward) Euler scheme was used. To solve the resulting nonlinear equations, a four steps iterative algorithm was proposed. To handle the non-differentiability of the plastic terms an iterative decomposition-coordination formulation coupled with the augmented Lagrangian method was adopted. The proposed algorithm is consistent, i.e. if the convergence is achieved then the iterative solution satisfies the nonlinear system at each time iteration. The equations for the velocity field are discretized using the finite element method, while a discontinuous Galerkin method, with an upwind choice of the flux, is adopted for solving the hyperbolic equations that describe the evolution of the thickness. The algorithm permits to solve alternatively, at each iteration, the equations for the velocity field and for the thickness. The iterative decomposition coordination formulation coupled with the augmented Lagrangian method works very well and no instabilities are present. The proposed algorithm has a very good convergence rate, with the exception of large Reynolds numbers (Re 1000), not involved in the applications concerned by the shallow viscoplastic model. The discontinuous Galerkin technique assure the mass conservation of the shallow system. The model has the exact C-property for a plane bottom and an asymptotic C-property for a general topography. Some boundary value problems were selected to analyze the robustness of the numerical algorithm and the predictive capabilities of the mechanical model. The comparison with an exact rigid flow solution illustrates the accuracy of the numerical scheme in handling the non-differentiability of the plastic terms. The influence of the mesh and of the time step are investigated for the flow of a Bingham fluid in a talweg. The role of the material cohesion in stopping a viscoplastic avalanche on a talweg with barrier was analyzed. Finally, the capacities of the model to describe the flow of a Bingham fluid on a valley from the broken wall of a reservoir situated upstream were investigated. 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.