Changelog/Release Notes

On this page we provide a summary of the main API changes, new features and examples for each release of Ratel.

Current main branch

New features

v0.4.0 (14 April 2025)

New features

  • Enabled discontinuous spaces with the command line option -pressure_petscdualspace_lagrance_continuity 0 and similar.

  • Add mixed Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models in current configuration.

  • Add Kershaw mesh transformation for unit box mesh.

  • Add Weierstrass mms for BPs problems.

  • Add -ts_monitor_*_interval options to all custom -ts_monitor_* routines to limit output frequency.

  • Add block preconditioner for mixed Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models in initial configuration.

  • Add support for computing surface forces and centroids within a sub-region of a face label via -surface_force_face_[facename]_bounding_box.

  • Add block preconditioner for mixed Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models in current configuration.

  • Enabled discontinuous non-tensor space for pressure in mixed problem.

  • Add mixed Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models in initial configuration with perturbed Lagrange-multiplier method.

  • Add support for storing computed surface forces for each face in a separate file via -ts_monitor_surface_force_per_face ascii:[base filename].csv

  • Add block preconditioner for mixed Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models in initial configuration with perturbed Lagrange-multiplier method.

  • Add penalty method based platens

  • Add block preconditioner for mixed Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models in current configuration with perturbed Lagrange-multiplier method.

  • Support PCBJacobi, PCPBJacobi, and PCVPBJacobi for MATCEED.

  • Add preliminary MPM implementation, with material point integration, mesh-to-point and point-to-mesh projection, and libCEED BPs at points.

  • Add elasticity-mpm-neo-hookean-current material which allows for storing material properties and density at material points.

  • Add sinker example for MPM Neo-Hookean material to compare against FEM implementation.

  • Add DMSNESSetObjective for static/quasistatic problems with objective functional to use snes_linesearch_type bt.

  • Add support for flexible pressure boundary conditions.

  • Add support for fieldsplit preconditioner MPM and tested with mixed-linear example.

  • Automatically append to CSV monitoring files from prior runs when a restart file is provided with -continue_file.

  • Add AT1 and AT2 phase-field models of fracture for linear elasticity (monolithic scheme)

  • Add viscous damage regularization

  • Add explicit flag for Coulomb friction model via -bc_contact_[contact_name]_friction_type coulomb.

  • Add Threlfall regularized friction model via -bc_contact_[contact_name]_friction_type threlfall.

  • Add support for viscous damping friction via -bc_contact_[contact_name]_friction_viscous [non-negative real].

  • Extend the phase-field modeling of fracture to Neo-Hookean hyperelasticity in initial/current configurations.

  • Add linear poroelastic material model.

  • Add block preconditioner for linear poroelastic model.

  • Add support for fully incompressible (nu=0.5) in mixed models.

  • Add MPM Neo-Hookean hyperelasticity with phase-field damage model: elasticity-mpm-neo-hookean-damage-current

  • Add basic mesh remapping for MPM

  • Add support for slip, dirichlet, and MMS bounaries to be active field (displacement or pressure) specific

  • Add support for computing Jacobians and Hessians from strain energy density functional in the residual and jacobian evaluations via Automatic Differentiation with ADOL-C.

  • Add nonlinear hardening to linear (i.e. small-strains) plasticity

  • Add large-strains plasticity based on log strain measures in initial/current configurations (includes principal directions-based implementations)

  • Add finite strain Neo-Hookean poroelasticity in current configuration.

  • Add finite strain Holzapfel-Gasser-Ogden anisotropic mixed hyperelasticity model in current configuration.

  • Add isochoric Ogden hyperelastic model in current configuration with Enzyme-AD.

  • Add interface for general rigid contact.

  • Add MPM initialization from auxiliary mesh: -mpm_use_material_mesh

  • Add MPM initialization from voxel data: -mpm_use_voxel

  • Add poroelastodynamics for linear and finite strain models.

  • Add RatelGetGitVersion() to access the Git commit and dirty state of the repository at build time.

  • Add RatelGetBuildConfiguration() to access compilers, flags, and related information about the build environment.

  • Add infinite cylinder contact shape: -bc_contact_[face]_shape cylinder

Internal

  • Add PetscFECreateLagrangeFromOptions for more flexible control over PetscFE creation.

  • Refactor MMS support for maintainability and to allow runtime options.

  • Rename RatelModelType to RatelMethodType as FEM and MPM will use the same CeedQFunction source.

  • Rename RatelComputeMaxValues to RatelComputeMaxSolutionValues.

  • Add RatelViewMaxDiagnosticValuesByNameFromOptions for viewing the max diagnostic component value by names.

  • Replace RatelCeedOperatorApplyContext with CeedEvaluator that mirrors MatCEED for nonlinear or general purpose operators.

  • Add RatelCeedSetupSurfaceQData for computing surface Qdata in traction boundary condition.

  • Refactor common parameters for friction models into RatelFrictionParams and add common interface for friction models.

  • Fix mass density calculations in diagnostic computations. Mass density is now correctly computed as rho / J.

  • RatelCeedAddBoundariesDirichletMMS now supports MMS boundaries for multiple fields with varying numbers of components (ex. displacement and pressure fields).

  • Refactored post-run verification into separate RatelView*ErrorFromOptions functions, which read -*_rtol and -*_atol values from the command-line to check expected values.

  • Add stored_values_ut for residual_ut qfunction.

  • Add interface for general rigid contact with analytical surfaces.

  • Add RatelVoxel to read and query voxel data.

  • Add stored_values_utt for residual_utt qfunction need for poroelastodynamics.

  • Update pc fieldsplit setup for dynamic problems.

Breaking changes

  • Deprecate -bc_platen_[platen_name]_f option for enabling friction, replaced by -bc_contact_[contact_name]_friction sub-options.

  • Replace -bc_platen* with -bc_contact*

v0.3.0 (1 November 2023)

New features

  • Update strain energy function to the convex form for both Neo-Hookean and Mooney-Rivlin models.

  • Add mixed linear elasticity and Neo-Hookean hyperelastic models for incompressible materials.

  • Add linear plasticity with linear hardening model for small strains.

  • Add pressure boundary loading which is caused by liquids or gases on the surface of the solid structure.

  • Add flexible clamp, slip, traction, and platen boundary conditions with more complex time variance during a quasistatic or dynamic simulation.

  • Add robust surface force and surface centroid monitoring options.

  • Add command-line validation options for maximum displacement and per-face centroids and surface forces.

  • Add isochoric Ogden hyperelastic model in initial configuration.

  • Add mixed Ogden hyperelastic model in initial configuration.

  • Add isochoric Neo-Hookean model in initial configuration.

  • Add Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic model in current configuration.

  • Add Coulomb friction capabilities to platen contact boundary conditions.

  • Add isochoric Mooney-Rivlin model in initial configuration.

  • Add CEED benchmark problems 1, 2, 3, and 4 for convergence testing and benchmarking.

  • Add Kelvin-Mandel notation pack and unpack to symmetric tensors functions.

  • Setup dynamic solver for mixed linear elastic and hyperelastic models.

  • Add isochoric Neo-Hookean model in current configuration.

  • Add density-dependent user-specified body forces which can be specified globally or on a per-material basis.

  • Add isochoric Ogden hyperelastic model in current configuration.

  • Add RatelCreateSubmatrix function to create Matshell block preconditioner for mixed-FEM.

  • Enable pMG preconditioning for the displacement block of mixed-FEM models.

  • Add isochoric Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic model in current configuration.

Breaking changes

  • Rename Ratel[TS,SNES,KSP]SetupPCMG to Ratel[TS,SNES,KSP]SetupPC for better accuracy.

  • Rename RatelSolverType, RatelMultigridType, and some function names for consistency.

  • Refactor p-multigrid support as registered PETSc PC; this change generated various API and command line option changes.

  • Rename material parameter contexts as follows:

    • RatelLinearElasticityParams

    • NeoHookeanPhysics to RatelNeoHookeanElasticityParams (alias of RatelLinearElasticityParams)

    • MooneyRivlinPhysics to MooneyRivlinElastictictyParams

  • Remove material-specific platen contexts

  • Rename cell-to-face surface force functions to be suffixed with CellToFace and -ts_monitor_surface_force to -ts_monitor_surface_force_cell_to_face to prevent accidental usage

  • Rename reaction force functions *ReactionForce* to *SurfaceForce* and -ts_monitor_reaction_force to-ts_monitor_surface_force

  • Deprecate -ts_monitor_reaction_force

  • Remove RATEL_FORCING_CONSTANT and associated CLI options -forcing constant and -forcing_vec

See the Using Ratel section for the updated command line options.

Maintainability

  • Fixes to QFunctions and documentation for clarity and consistency.

  • Separate MatCeed logic for maintainability and future upstreaming to PETSc.

Performance

  • Updates to setup to reduce setup time.

  • Updates to local vector usage to reduce memory footprint.

V0.2.1 (12 January 2023)

Bugfix to make tet based tests optional in the test suite.

V0.2.0 (10 January 2023)

Expanded features and material models.

New features

  • Add RatelComputeSurfaceForces for computing final forces on surfaces, identified by DMPlex face id number.

  • Add support for computing Jacobians from strain energy density functional from residual evaluation via Automatic Differentiation with Enzyme-AD. Neo-Hookean material models provided in current and initial configuration.

  • Add support for platen boundary condition based upon Nitsche’s method.

  • Add support for restart from saved binaries of state vectors.

Breaking changes

  • Update names and command line arguments for material models for consistency.

  • Use PETSc option options_file over redundant yml option in tests and examples; removed options_yml argument from RatelInit.

  • Docker images built and tested as part of CI process for latest main.

  • Update Boolean arguments -view_diagnostic_quantities and -ts_monitor_diagnostic_quantities to use viewer type.

  • Remove command line option -output_dir; this functionality is provided with setting the output filepath for the viewer via -view_diagnostic_quantities and -ts_monitor_diagnostic_quantities.

  • Remove RatelVectorView in favor of base PETSc functionality.

Maintainability

  • Internal refactor around RatelMaterial, an object representing a region of the mesh given by a material model with consistent physical parameters. External behavior was not affected by this refactor.

v0.1.2 (15 April 2022)

Bugfix for install paths in makefile.

v0.1.1 (14 April 2022)

Bugfix for Mass QFunction source file relative path.

v0.1 (11 April 2022)

Initial Ratel API. The Ratel solid mechanics library is based upon libCEED and PETSc. libCEED v0.10.1 or later and PETSc v3.17 or later is required.