Enhancing biomechanical simulations based on a posteriori error estimates: the potential of Dual Weighted Residual-driven adaptive mesh refinement

Abstract

The Finite Element Method (FEM) is a well-established procedure for computing approximate solutions to deterministic engineering problems described by partial differential equations. FEM produces discrete approximations of the solution with a discretisation error that can be an be quantified with a posteriori error estimates. The practical relevance of error estimates for biomechanics problems, especially for soft tissue where the response is governed by large strains, is rarely addressed. In this contribution, we propose an implementation of a posteriori error estimates targeting a user-defined quantity of interest, using the Dual Weighted Residual (DWR) technique tailored to biomechanics. The proposed method considers a general setting that encompasses three-dimensional geometries and model non-linearities, which appear in hyperelastic soft tissues. We take advantage of the automatic differentiation capabilities embedded in modern finite element software, which allows the error estimates to be computed generically for a large class of models and constitutive laws. First we validate our methodology using experimental measurements from silicone samples, and then illustrate its applicability for patient-specific computations of pressure ulcers on a human heel.