A 3D Crouzeix-Raviart mortar finite element (Q1044224)

A mortar finite element discretization of the second order elliptic problem in three dimensions, on non-matching grids, using the 3D Crouzeix-Raviart finite element in each subdomain, is proposed. The overall discretization is based on using only the nodal values on the mortar side of a subdomain interface for the calculation of the mortar projection, as opposed to applying the conventional approach where some nodal values in the interior of a subdomain are also required. Since the interior degrees of freedom disappear completely from the computation of the mortar projection, the proposed algorithm becomes less intricate and more flexible as compared to the conventional approach. An error estimate is given, and some numerical experiments are presented.