Grid generation using differential systems techniques

Abstract

The errors in approximating the derivatives of a function by traditional central differences at grid points of a curvilinear coordinate system were examined. The implications concerning the accuracy of the numerical solution of a partial differential equation are explained by considering several numerical examples. Although this study only considers the two dimensional case, the techniques and implications are equally valid for three dimensional grids. An interesting feature of the error analysis is its simplicity. Most of the results follow by merely working with the truncation terms of some power series expansion. These series expansions also give rise to higher order difference approximations which can significantly reduce error when the grid spacing changes rapidly, as might be the case in problems with shock waves or thin boundary layers.