The Biot-Stokes coupling using total pressure: Formulation, analysis and application to interfacial flow in the eye

We consider a multiphysics model for the flow of Newtonian fluid coupled with Biot consolidation equations through an interface, and incorporating total pressure as an unknown in the poroelastic region. A new mixed-primal finite element scheme is proposed solving for the pairs fluid velocity-pressure and displacement-total poroelastic pressure using Stokes-stable elements, and where the formulation does not require Lagrange multipliers to set up the usual transmission conditions on the interface. The stability and well-posedness of the continuous and semi-discrete problems are analysed in detail. Our numerical study is framed in the context of applicative problems pertaining to heterogeneous geophysical flows and to eye poromechanics. For the latter, we investigate different interfacial flow regimes in Cartesian and axisymmetric coordinates that could eventually help describe early morphologic changes associated with glaucoma development in canine species. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, a new mixed-primal finite element scheme was proposed to solve the multiphysics model involving fluid flow and consolidation equations without the need for Lagrange multipliers. The research focused on numerical simulations related to geophysical flows and eye poromechanics, exploring different interfacial flow regimes that could help understand early morphologic changes associated with glaucoma in canine species.