Discrete maximum principle and a Delaunay-type mesh condition for linear finite element approximations of two-dimensional anisotropic diffusion problems

Abstract: The finite element solution of two-dimensional anisotropic diffusion problems is considered. A Delaunay-type mesh condition is developed for linear finite element approximations to satisfy a discrete maximum principle. The condition is shown to be weaker than the existing anisotropic non-obtuse angle condition. It reduces to the well known Delaunay condition for the special case with the identity diffusion matrix. Numerical results are presented to verify the theoretical findings.