Seminar - The EXHUME Project: Democratizing Immersed and Meshless Finite Element Analysis - Oct. 10

John Evans
Associate Professor and Chair-Elect, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Oct. 10 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Immersed finite element methods enable the simulation of physical systems that are challenging - or even prohibitively complex - for classical finite element approaches, spanning domains from aerospace (e.g., airflow around flexible wings) to biomedicine (e.g., blood flowing past heart valves). They also streamline computational design optimization, allowing the geometry and material layout of an engineered system to be tailored to prescribed performance metrics. Yet implementing an immersed finite element method remains a time-consuming and technically demanding task, even for experts, limiting its adoption in practice.

The EXHUME (EXtraction for High-order Unfitted finite element MEthods) software library was created to overcome this barrier. By making it possible to transform classical finite element codes into immersed finite element codes with minimal effort, EXHUME empowers a broader community of scientists and engineers to apply these methods. This talk introduces interpolation-based immersed finite element analysis - the key technology behind EXHUME - and demonstrates its efficacy through problems in heat conduction, structural mechanics, and fluid dynamics.  I will also show how EXHUME integrates with the open-source platform FEniCS, making interpolation-based immersed finite element analysis accessible within a widely used community tool.

Beyond immersed finite element analysis, interpolation opens a second frontier: converting classical finite element codes into meshless analysis codes.  This capability makes it possible to model extreme material behaviors - such as fracture under blast loading - that lie beyond the reach of both classical and immersed finite element analysis.  Finally, I will showcase how EXHUME enables classical finite element codes such as FEniCS to be used for shape and topology optimization with little user intervention. By lowering the barrier to entry, the EXHUME project democratizes advanced simulation technologies and broaden their impact across science and engineering.

Bio: John A. Evans is Chair-Elect, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Curriculum, and an Associate Professor in the Ann & H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research lies at the intersection of computational mechanics, numerical analysis, and design optimization, with expertise in finite element, immersed, and isogeometric analysis methodologies. He has received awards for both research and teaching, including the Gallagher Young Investigator Award from the United States Association for Computational Mechanics and Educator of the Year from the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.