Existence of Weak Solutions for the Unsteady Interaction of a Viscous Fluid with an Elastic Plate

The purpose of this work is to study the existence of solutions for an unsteady fluid-structure interaction problem. We consider a three-dimensional viscous incompressible fluid governed by the Navier–Stokes equations, interacting with a flexible elastic plate located on one part of the fluid boundary. The fluid domain evolves according to the structure’s displacement, itself resulting from the fluid force. We prove the existence of at least one weak solution as long as the structure does not touch the fixed part of the fluid boundary. The same result holds also for a two-dimensional fluid interacting with a one-dimensional membrane.     

Stopping a Viscous Fluid by a Feedback Dissipative Field: I. The Stationary Stokes Problem

We consider a planar stationary flow of an incompressible viscous fluid in a semiinfinite strip governed by the Stokes system with a body forces field. We show how this fluid can be stopped at a finite distance of the entrance of the semi-infinite strip by means of a feedback field depending in a sub-linear way on the velocity field. This localization effect is proved reducing the problem to a non-linear bi-harmonic type one for which the localization of solutions is obtained by means of the application of a suitable energy method. Since the presence of the non-linear terms defined through the body forces field is not standard in the fluid mechanics literature, we establish also some results about the existence and uniqueness of weak solutions for this problem.     

Surface Waves for a Compressible Viscous Fluid

In this paper, we are concerned with free boundary problem for compressible viscous isotropic Newtonian fluid. Our problem is to find the three-dimensional domain occupied by the fluid which is bounded below by the fixed bottom and above by the free surface together with the density, the velocity vector field and the absolute temperature of the fluid satisfying the system of Navier-Stokes equations and the initial-boundary conditions. The Navier-Stokes equations consist of the conservations of mass, momentum under the gravitational field in a downward direction and energy. The effect of the surface tension on the free surface is taken into account. The purpose of this paper is to establish two existence theorems to the problem mentioned above: the first concerns with the temporary local solvability in anisotropic Sobolev-Slobodetskiĭ spaces and the second the global solvability near the equilibrium rest state. Here the equilibrium rest state (heat conductive state) means that the temperature distribution is a linear function with respect to a vertical direction and the density is determined by an ordinary differential equation which involves equation of state. For the proof, we rely on the methods due to Solonnikov in the case of incompressible fluid with some modifications, since our problem is hyperbolic-parabolic coupled system. Dedicated to Professors Takaaki Nishida and Masayasu Mimura on their sixtieth birthdays     

Compressible Flow in a Half-Space with Navier Boundary Conditions

We prove the global existence of weak solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations of compressible flow in a half-space with the boundary condition proposed by Navier: the velocity on the boundary is proportional to the tangential component of the stress. This boundary condition allows for the determination of the scalar function in the Helmholtz decomposition of the acceleration density, which in turn is crucial in obtaining pointwise bounds for the density. Initial data and solutions are small in energy-norm with nonnegative densities having arbitrarily large sup-norm. These results generalize previous results for solutions in the whole space and are the first for solutions in this intermediate regularity class in a region with a boundary.     

Brinkmann Model and Double Penalization Method for the Flow Around a Porous Thin Layer

In this paper we study a penalization method used to compute the flow of a viscous fluid around a thin layer of porous material. Using a BKW method, we perform an asymptotic expansion of the solution when a little parameter, measuring the thickness of the thin layer and the inverse of the penalization coefficient, tends to zero. We compare then this numerical method with a Brinkman model for the flow around a porous thin layer.      

Classical Solvability of the Coupled System Modelling a Heat-Convergent Poiseuille-Type Flow

We consider the coupled system of two nonlinear scalar parabolic equations modelling a simple uni-directional Poiseuille-type flow of a homogeneous incompressible Newtonian fluid whose viscosity is a temperature-dependent function. The energy balance equation of this system takes into account the phenomena of the viscous energy dissipation. We prove existence of a classical solution to this system on an arbitrary interval of time. The smooth solution turns out to be unique in a wider class of weak solutions.     

Existence of a Rigid Core in the Flow of a Compressible Bingham Fluid under the Action of a Homogeneous Force

A compressible one-dimensional plain Bingham flow starting in equilibrium under the action of a time-increasing spatially homogeneous mass force is investigated. A lower estimate for the width of a rigid zone is obtained. The estimate shows that the rigid zone converges to the whole interval for t tends to zero. In other words, existence of a rigid core is established. As a supplementary result, additional smoothness of solutions to the system considered is established.     

Global Strong Solutions for the Two-Dimensional Motion of an Infinite Cylinder in a Viscous Fluid

In this paper, we consider a two-dimensional fluid-rigid body problem. The motion of the fluid is modelled by the Navier-Stokes equations, whereas the dynamics of the rigid body is governed by the conservation laws of linear and angular momentum. The rigid body is supposed to be an infinite cylinder of circular cross-section. Our main result is the existence and uniqueness of global strong solutions.     

Existence Result for a Radionuclide Transport Model with Unbounded Viscosity

We consider a model describing compressible nuclear waste disposal contamination in porous media. The transport of brine, radionuclides and heat is described by a nonlinear coupled parabolic system. The viscosity of the fluid is unbounded and concentrations and temperature dependent. Using a fixed point approach, we prove existence of physically relevant weak solutions.     

Fast Decaying Solutions of the Navier-Stokes Equation and Asymptotic Properties

While the basic global existence problem for the Navier-Stokes equations seems to remain open, there are related questions of some interest which are amenable to discussion: find large initial data giving rise to global solutions. Such initial data are known in the literature. A study shows that they have a peculiar property: they give rise to solutions which decay fast in very short time. A major result to be proved states that the set of trajectories induced by such initial data is dense in every open set (with respect to some fractional power norm). A further result states that if the exterior force f is zero, then such rapid decays cannot occur infinitely often along trajectories. This follows from some inequalities, connecting and , with A the Stokes operator.     

The Linearized Crocco Equation

In this paper, we study the existence and uniqueness of a degenerate parabolic equation, with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions, coming from the linearization of the Crocco equation [12]. The Crocco equation is a nonlinear degenerate parabolic equation obtained from the Prandtl equations with the so-called Crocco transformation. The linearized Crocco equation plays a major role in stabilization problems of fluid flows described by the Prandtl equations [5]. To study the infinitesimal generator associated with the adjoint linearized Crocco equation – with homogeneous boundary conditions – we first study degenerate parabolic equations in which the x-variable plays the role of a time variable. This equation is doubly degenerate: the coefficient in front of ∂_x vanishes on a part of the boundary, and the coefficient of the elliptic operator vanishes in another part of the boundary. This makes very delicate the proof of uniqueness of solution. To overcome this difficulty, a uniqueness result is first obtained for an equation in which the elliptic operator is symmetric, and it is next extended to the original equation by combining an iterative process and a fixed point argument (see Th. 4.9). This kind of argument is also used to prove estimates, which cannot be obtained in a classical way.     

2D Slightly Compressible Ideal Flow in an Exterior Domain

We consider the Euler equations of barotropic inviscid compressible fluids in the exterior domain. It is well known that, as the Mach number goes to zero, the compressible flows approximate the solution of the equations of motion of inviscid, incompressible fluids. In dimension 2 such limit solution exists on any arbitrary time interval, with no restriction on the size of the initial data. It is then natural to expect the same for the compressible solution, if the Mach number is sufficiently small. First we study the life span of smooth irrotational solutions, i.e. the largest time interval of existence of classical solutions, when the initial data are a small perturbation of size from a constant state. Then, we study the nonlinear interaction between the irrotational part and the incompressible part of a general solution. This analysis yields the existence of smooth compressible flow on any arbitrary time interval and with no restriction on the size of the initial velocity, for any Mach number sufficiently small. Finally, the approach is applied to the study of the incompressible limit. For the proofs we use a combination of energy estimates and a decay estimate for the irrotational part.     

Local Existence and Finite-time Blow-up in Multidimensional Radiation Hydrodynamics

We first prove the local existence of smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem for the equations of multidimensional radiation hydrodynamics which are a hyperbolic-Boltzmann coupled system. Then, we show that a smooth solution will blow up in finite time if the initial data are large. Moreover, the property of finite propagation speed is obtained simultaneously. Supported by the NSF of Jiangxi Province, the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Projects, the NSFC (Grant No. 10225105) and the CAEP (Grant No. 2003-R-02).     

On the Capillary Problem for Compressible Fluids

Classical capillarity theory is based on a hypothesis that virtual motions of fluid particles distinct from those on a surface interface have no effect on the form of the interface. That hypothesis cannot be supported for a compressible fluid. A heuristic reasoning suggests that even small amounts of compressibility could have significant effect on surface behavior. In an earlier work, Finn took a partial account of compressibility, and formulated a variant of the classical capillarity equation for fluid surface height in a vertical capillary tube; he was led to a necessary condition for existence of a solution with prescribed mass in a tube closed at the bottom. For a circular tube, he proved that the condition also suffices, and that solutions are uniquely determined for any contact angle γ. Later Finn took more complete account of compressibility and obtained a new equation of highly nonlinear character but for which the same necessary condition holds. In the present work we consider that equation for circular tubes. We prove that the necessary condition again suffices for existence when 0 ≤ γ < π, and we establish uniqueness when 0 ≤ γ ≤ π/2. Our result is put into relief by the observation that for the unconstrained problem of a tube dipped into an infinite liquid bath, solutions do not in general exist when γ > π/2. Presumably an actual fluid would in that case descend to the bottom of the tube. This kind of singular behavior does not occur for the equation previously considered, nor does it occur in the present case under the presence of a mass constraint.     

Analysis of stagnation point flow toward a stretching sheet

There has been much recent interest in the stagnation point flow of a fluid toward a stretching sheet. Investigations that may include oblique stagnation flow and heat transfer to a horizontal plate all involve the same boundary value problem (BVP):

f^?+ff^″-(f^′)²+b²=0,     

On Compactness, Domain Dependence and Existence of Steady State Solutions to Compressible Isothermal Navier–Stokes Equations

The steady state system of isothermal Navier–Stokes equations is considered in two dimensional domain including an obstacle. The shape optimisation problem of minimisation of the drag with respect to the admissible shape of the obstacle is defined. The generalized solutions for the Navier–Stokes equations are introduced. The existence of an optimal shape is proved in the class of admissible domains. In general the solutions are not unique for the problem under considerations.     

Equilibrium Configurations for a Floating Drop

If a drop of fluid of density ₁ rests on the surface of a fluid of density ₂ below a fluid of density ₀, ₀ < ₁ < ₂, the surface of the drop is made up of a sessile drop and an inverted sessile drop which match an external capillary surface. Solutions of this problem are constructed by matching solutions of the axisymmetric capillary surface equation. For general values of the surface tensions at the common boundaries of the three fluids the surfaces need not be graphs and the profiles of these axisymmetric surfaces are parametrized by their tangent angles. The solutions are obtained by finding the value of the tangent angle for which the three surfaces match. In addition the asymptotic form of the solution is found for small drops.     

Propagation of Density-Oscillations in Solutions to the Barotropic Compressible Navier–Stokes System

Considering a bounded sequence of weak solutions to the compressible Navier–Stokes system, we introduce Young measures as in [12] in order to describe a “homogenized system” satisfied in the limit. We then study the Cauchy problem associated to this “homogenized system” when Young measures are convex combinations of Dirac measures.