Solvability of a dynamic contact problem between a piezoelectric body and a conductive foundation

We consider a mathematical model which describes the dynamic process of contact between a piezoelectric body and an electrically conductive foundation. We model the material’s behavior with a nonlinear electro-viscoelastic constitutive law; the contact is frictionless and is described with the normal compliance condition and a regularized electrical conductivity condition. We derive a variational formulation for the problem and then, under a smallness assumption on the data, we prove the existence of a unique weak solution to the model. We also investigate the behavior of the solution with respect the electric data on the contact surface and prove a continuous dependence result. Then, we introduce a fully discrete scheme, based on the finite element method to approximate the spatial variable and the backward Euler scheme to discretize the time derivatives. We treat the contact by using a penalized approach and a version of Newton’s method. We implement this scheme in a numerical code and, in order to verify its accuracy, we present numerical simulations in the study of two-dimensional test problems. These simulations provide a numerical validation of our continuous dependence result and illustrate the effects of the conductivity of the foundation, as well.     

Fully discrete energy stable scheme for a phase-field moving contact line model with variable densities and viscosities

In this study, we propose a fully discrete energy stable scheme for the phase-field moving contact line model with variable densities and viscosities. The mathematical model comprises a Cahn–Hilliard equation, Navier–Stokes equation, and the generalized Navier boundary condition for the moving contact line. A scalar auxiliary variable is employed to transform the governing system into an equivalent form, thereby allowing the double well potential to be treated semi-explicitly. A stabilization term is added to balance the explicit nonlinear term originating from the surface energy at the fluid–solid interface. A pressure stabilization method is used to decouple the velocity and pressure computations. Some subtle implicit–explicit treatments are employed to deal with convention and stress terms. We establish a rigorous proof of the energy stability for the proposed time-marching scheme. A finite difference method based on staggered grids is then used to spatially discretize the constructed time-marching scheme. We also prove that the fully discrete scheme satisfies the discrete energy dissipation law. Our numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and energy stability of the proposed scheme. Using our numerical scheme, we analyze the contact line dynamics based on a shear flow-driven droplet sliding case. Three-dimensional droplet spreading is also investigated based on a chemically patterned surface. Our numerical simulation accurately predicts the expected energy evolution and it successfully reproduces the expected phenomena where an oil droplet contracts inward on a hydrophobic zone and then spreads outward rapidly on a hydrophilic zone.     

Integrable Discrete Model for One‐Dimensional Soil Water Infiltration

We propose an integrable discrete model of one‐dimensional soil water infiltration. This model is based on the continuum model by Broadbridge and White, which takes the form of nonlinear convection–diffusion equation with a nonlinear flux boundary condition at the surface. It is transformed to the Burgers equation with a time‐dependent flux term by the hodograph transformation. We construct a discrete model preserving the underlying integrability, which is formulated as the self‐adaptive moving mesh scheme. The discretization is based on linearizability of the Burgers equation to the linear diffusion equation, but the naïve discretization based on the Euler scheme which is often used in the theory of discrete integrable systems does not necessarily give a good numerical scheme. Taking desirable properties of a numerical scheme into account, we propose an alternative discrete model that produces solutions with similar accuracy to direct computation on the original nonlinear equation, but with clear benefits regarding computational cost.     

Variational and numerical analysis of a quasistatic viscoelastic problem with normal compliance,friction and damage

We consider a model for quasistatic frictional contact between a viscoelastic body and a foundation. The material constitutive relation is assumed to be nonlinear. The mechanical damage of the material, caused by excessive stress or strain, is described by the damage function, the evolution of which is determined by a parabolic inclusion. The contact is modeled with the normal compliance condition and the associated version of Coulomb's law of dry friction. We derive a variational formulation for the problem and prove the existence of its unique weak solution. We then study a fully discrete scheme for the numerical solutions of the problem and obtain error estimates on the approximate solutions.     

Dynamic frictionless contact of a nonlinear beam with two stops

In this work, we consider mathematical and numerical approaches to a dynamic contact problem with a highly nonlinear beam, the so-called Gao beam. Its left end is rigidly attached to a supporting device, whereas the other end is constrained to move between two perfectly rigid stops. Thus, the Signorini contact conditions are imposed to its right end and are interpreted as a pair of complementarity conditions. We formulate a time discretization based on a truncated variational formulation. We prove the convergence of numerical trajectories and also derive a new form of energy balance. A fully discrete numerical scheme is implemented to present numerical results.     

Numerical Analysis of a Dynamic Contact Problem with History-Dependent Operators

In this paper, we study a dynamic contact model with long memory which allows both the convex potential and nonconvex superpotentials to depend on history-dependent operators. The deformable body consists of a viscoelastic material with long memory and the process is assumed to be dynamic. The contact involves a nonmonotone Clarke subdifferential boundary condition and the friction is modeled by a version of the Coulomb's law of dry friction with the friction bound depending on the total slip. We introduce and study a fully discrete scheme of the problem, and derive error estimates for numerical solutions. Under appropriate solution regularity assumptions, an optimal order error estimate is derived for the linear finite element method. This theoretical result is illustrated numerically.     

Analysis and numerical solution of a piezoelectric frictional contact problem

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between an electro-elastic–visco-plastic body and a conductive foundation. The contact is modelled with normal compliance and a version of Coulomb’s law of dry friction, in which the stiffness and the friction coefficients depend on the electric potential. We derive a variational formulation of the problem and we prove an existence and uniqueness result. The proof is based on a recent existence and uniqueness result on history-dependent quasivariational inequalities obtained in [15]. Then we introduce a fully discrete scheme for solving the problem and, under certain solution regularity assumptions, we derive an optimal order error estimate. Finally, we present some numerical results in the study of a two-dimensional test problem which describes the process of contact in a microelectromechanical switch.     

Numerical analysis of a contact problem including bone remodeling

In this work, a contact problem between an elastic body and a deformable obstacle is numerically studied. The bone remodeling of the material is also taken into account in the model and the contact is modeled using the normal compliance contact condition. The variational problem is written as a nonlinear variational equation for the displacement field, coupled with a first-order ordinary differential equation to describe the physiological process of bone remodeling. An existence and uniqueness result of weak solutions is stated. Then, fully discrete approximations are introduced based on the finite element method to approximate the spatial variable and an Euler scheme to discretize the time derivatives. Error estimates are obtained, from which the linear convergence of the algorithm is derived under suitable regularity conditions. Finally, some 2D numerical results are presented to demonstrate the behavior of the solution.     

Analysis of a meshless method for the time fractional diffusion-wave equation

In this paper a numerical technique is proposed for solving the time fractional diffusion-wave equation. We obtain a time discrete scheme based on finite difference formula. Then, we prove that the time discrete scheme is unconditionally stable and convergent using the energy method and the convergence order of the time discrete scheme is \(\mathcal {O}(\tau ^{3-\alpha })\). Firstly, we change the main problem based on Dirichlet boundary condition to a new problem based on Robin boundary condition and then, we consider a semi-discrete scheme with Robin boundary condition and show when \(\beta \rightarrow +\infty \) solution of the main semi-discrete problem with Dirichlet boundary condition is convergent to the solution of the new semi-discrete problem with Robin boundary condition. We consider the new semi-discrete problem with Robin boundary condition and use the meshless Galerkin method to approximate the spatial derivatives. Finally, we obtain an error bound for the new problem. We prove that convergence order of the numerical scheme based on Galekin meshless is \(\mathcal {O}(h)\). In the considered method the appeared integrals are approximated using Gauss Legendre quadrature formula. The main aim of the current paper is to obtain an error estimate for the meshless Galerkin method based on the radial basis functions. Numerical examples confirm the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed scheme.     

Applying a Power Penalty Method to Numerically Pricing American Bond Options

In this paper, we aim to develop a numerical scheme to price American options on a zero-coupon bond based on a power penalty approach. This pricing problem is formulated as a variational inequality problem (VI) or a complementarity problem (CP). We apply a fitted finite volume discretization in space along with an implicit scheme in time, to the variational inequality problem, and obtain a discretized linear complementarity problem (LCP). We then develop a power penalty approach to solve the LCP by solving a system of nonlinear equations. The unique solvability and convergence of the penalized problem are established. Finally, we carry out numerical experiments to examine the convergence of the power penalty method and to testify the efficiency and effectiveness of our numerical scheme.     

A generalized Duffing equation with the Coulomb’s friction law and Signorini–type contact conditions

This work provides mathematical and numerical analyses for a spring–mass system, in which Signorini–type contact conditions and Coulomb’s friction law with thermal effects are taken into consideration. The motion of a mass attached to a viscoelastic (Kelvin–Voigt type) nonlinear spring is described by a generalized Duffing equation. Signorini contact conditions are understood as extended complementarity conditions (CCs), where convolution is incorporated, allowing to consider thermal aspects of an obstacle. We prove the existence of global weak solutions for the highly nonlinear differential equation system with all the conditions, based on the regularized differential equation and the normal compliance condition with the standard mollifier. In addition, we investigate what side effects produce higher singularities of contact forces in dynamic contact problems, which is also supported by numerical evidences. Numerical schemes are proposed and then several groups of data are selected for the display of our numerical simulations.     

Lattice Boltzmann model for two-dimensional generalized sine-Gordon equation

The nonlinear sine-Gordon equation arises in various problems in science and engineering. In this paper, we propose a numerical model based on lattice Boltmann method to obtain the numerical solutions of two-dimensional generalized sine-Gordon equation, including damped and undamped sine-Gordon equation. By choosing properly the conservation condition between the macroscopic quantity $u_t$ and the distribution functions and applying the Chapman-Enskog expansion, the governing equation is recovered correctly from the lattice Boltzmann equation. Moreover, the local equilibrium distribution function is obtained. The numerical results of the first three examples agree well with the analytic solutions, which indicates the lattice Boltzmann model is satisfactory and efficient. Numerical solutions for cases involving the most known from the bibliography line and ring solitons are given. Numerical experiments also show that the present scheme has a good long-time numerical behavior for the generalized sine-Gordon equation. Moreover, the model can also be applied to other two-dimensional nonlinear wave equations, such as nonlinear hyperbolic telegraph equation and Klein-Gordon equation.     

A Dynamic Frictional Contact Problem with Normal Damped Response

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between a viscoelastic body and a reactive foundation. The process is assumed to be dynamic and the contact is modeled with a general normal damped response condition and a local friction law. We present a variational formulation of the problem and prove the existence and uniqueness of the weak solution, using results on evolution equations with monotone operators and a fixed point argument. We then introduce and study a fully discrete numerical approximation scheme of the variational problem, in terms of the velocity variable. The numerical scheme has a unique solution. We derive error estimates under additional regularity assumptions on the data and the solution.     

Numerical analysis and simulations of a quasistatic frictional contact problem with damage in viscoelasticity

We consider a quasistatic problem which models the bilateral contact between a viscoelastic body and a foundation, taking into account the damage and the friction. The damage which results from tension or compression is then involved in the constitutive law and it is modelled using a nonlinear parabolic inclusion. The variational problem is formulated as a coupled system of evolutionary equations for which we state the existence of a unique solution. Then, we introduce a fully discrete scheme using the finite element method to approximate the spatial variable and the Euler scheme to discretize the time derivatives. Error estimates are derived and, under suitable regularity hypotheses, the convergence of the numerical scheme obtained. Finally, a numerical algorithm and results are presented for some two-dimensional examples.     

An Energy-Stable Parametric Finite Element Method for Simulating Solid-State Dewetting Problems in Three Dimensions

We propose an accurate and energy-stable parametric finite element method for solving the sharp-interface continuum model of solid-state dewetting in three-dimensional space. The model describes the motion of the film\slash vapor interface with contact line migration and is governed by the surface diffusion equation with proper boundary conditions at the contact line. We present a weak formulation for the problem, in which the contact angle condition is weakly enforced. By using piecewise linear elements in space and backward Euler method in time, we then discretize the formulation to obtain a parametric finite element approximation, where the interface and its contact line are evolved simultaneously. The resulting numerical method is shown to be well-posed and unconditionally energy-stable. Furthermore, the numerical method is generalized to the case of anisotropic surface energies in the Riemannian metric form. Numerical results are reported to show the convergence and efficiency of the proposed numerical method as well as the anisotropic effects on the morphological evolution of thin films in solid-state dewetting.     

Antiplane shear deformation of piezoelectric bodies in contact with a conductive support

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between a piezoelectric body and an electrically conductive support. We model the material’s behavior with an electro-elastic constitutive law; the frictional contact is described with a boundary condition involving Clarke’s generalized gradient and the electrical condition on the contact surface is modelled using the subdifferential of a proper, convex and lower semicontinuous function. We derive a variational formulation of the model and then, using a fixed point theorem for set valued mappings, we prove the existence of at least one weak solution. Finally, the uniqueness of the solution is discussed; the investigation is based on arguments in the theory of variational-hemivariational inequalities.     

Exponential decay rate of a nonlinear suspension bridge model by a local distributed and boundary dampings

In this paper, we investigate the decay properties of the unconstrained one dimensional suspension bridge model. With only partial damping acting on one or on both equations and with boundary dampings, we prove that the first order energy is decaying exponentially, our method of proof is based on the energy method to build the appropriate Lyapunov functional. Moreover, we develop a numerical algorithm which is based on the finite element method to approximate the spatial variable and the Crank–Nicolson type of symmetric difference scheme to discretize the time derivative, and also a Picard type iteration process for solving the system of nonlinear equations obtained by discretization. At the end, we present some numerical experiments to illustrate our theoretical results.     

A dynamic viscoelastic contact problem with normal compliance,finite penetration and nonmonotone slip rate dependent friction

We consider a mathematical model which describes the dynamic evolution of a viscoelastic body in frictional contact with an obstacle. The contact is modelled with normal compliance and unilateral constraint, associated to a rate slip-dependent version of Coulomb’s law of dry friction. In order to approximate the contact conditions, we consider a regularized problem wherein the contact is modelled by a standard normal compliance condition without finite penetrations. For each problem, we derive a variational formulation and an existence result of the weak solution of the regularized problem is obtained. Next, we prove the convergence of the weak solution of the regularized problem to the weak solution of the initial nonregularized problem. Then, we introduce a fully discrete approximation of the variational problem based on a finite element method and on a second order time integration scheme. The solution of the resulting nonsmooth and nonconvex frictional contact problems is presented, based on approximation by a sequence of nonsmooth convex programming problems. Finally, some numerical simulations are provided in order to illustrate both the behaviour of the solution related to the frictional contact conditions and the convergence result.     

A Regularized Iterative Scheme for Solving Nonlinear Ill-Posed Problems

In this article, we consider a regularized iterative scheme for solving nonlinear ill-posed problems. The convergence analysis and error estimates are derived by choosing the regularization parameter according to both a priori and a posteriori methods. The iterative scheme is stopped using an a posteriori stopping rule, and we prove that the scheme converges to the solution of the well-known Lavrentiev scheme. The salient features of the proposed scheme are: (i) convergence and error estimate analysis require only weaker assumptions compared to standard assumptions followed in literature, and (ii) consideration of an adaptive a posteriori stopping rule and a parameter choice strategy that gives the same convergence rate as that of an a priori method without using the smallness assumption, the source condition. The above features are very useful from theory and application points of view. We also supply the numerical results to illustrate that the method is adaptable. Further, we compare the numerical result of the proposed method with the standard approach to demonstrate that our scheme is stable and achieves good computational output.