Quadrature error estimates on non-matching grids in a fictitious domain framework for fluid–structure interaction problems

We consider a fictitious domain formulation for fluid–structure interaction problems based on a distributed Lagrange multiplier to couple the fluid and solid behaviors. How to deal with the coupling term is crucial since the construction of the associated finite element matrix requires the integration of functions defined over non-matching grids: the exact computation can be performed by intersecting the involved meshes, whereas an approximate coupling matrix can be evaluated on the original meshes by introducing a quadrature error. The purpose of this paper is twofold: we prove that the discrete problem is well-posed also when the coupling term is constructed in approximate way and we discuss quadrature error estimates over non-matching grids.