Asymptotic expansions for the voltage potentials with two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional thin interfaces

We derive asymptotic formulae for two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional steady state voltage potentials associated with thin conductivity imperfections having no uniform thickness. These formulae recover highly conducting inclusions and those with interfacial resistance. Our calculations are rigorous and based on layer potential techniques. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymptotic formulas for steady state voltage potentials in the presence of thin inhomogeneities. A rigorous error analysis

We consider an electrically conducting medium with conductivity inhomogeneities in the form of sheets of thickness 2ε. In this setup we provide a rigorous derivation of the leading terms in the asymptotic expansion of the steady state boundary voltage potentials, as ε→0. In the two-dimensional case our derivation confirms the results, heuristically obtained in [E. Beretta et al., Z. Angew. Math. Phys. 52 (2001) 543–572].     

Full asymptotics and Laurent series of layer potentials for Laplace's equation on the half‐space

We combine the calculus of conormal distributions, in particular the Pull‐Back and Push‐Forward Theorems, with the method of layer potentials to solve the Dirichlet and Neumann problems on half‐spaces. We obtain full asymptotic expansions for the solutions, show that boundary layer potential operators are elements of the full b‐calculus and give a new proof of the classical jump relations. En route, we improve Siegel and Talvila's growth estimates for the modified layer potentials in the case of polyhomogeneous boundary data. The techniques we use here can be generalised to geometrically more complex settings, as for instance the exterior domain of touching domains or domains with fibred cusps. This work is intended to be a first step in a longer program aiming at understanding the method of layer potentials in the setting of certain non‐Lipschitz singularities that can be resolved in the sense of Melrose using manifolds with corners and at applying a matching asymptotics ansatz to singular perturbations of related problems.     

Reconstruction of Thin Conductivity Imperfections

We consider the case of a uniform plane conductor containing a thin curve-like inhomogeneity of finite conductivity. In this article we prove that the imperfection can be uniquely determined from the boundary measurements of the first order correction term in the asymptotic expansion of the steady state voltage potential as the thickness goes to zero.     

A Variational Finite Element Model for Large-Eddy Simulations of Turbulent Flows

The authors introduce a new Large Eddy Simulation model in a channel,based on the projection on finite element spaces as filtering operation in its variational form,for a given triangulation{Th}h>0.The eddy viscosity is expressed in terms of the friction velocity in the boundary layer due to the wall,and is of a standard sub grid-model form outside the boundary layer.The mixing length scale is locally equal to the grid size.The computational domain is the channel without the linear sub-layer of the boundary layer.The no-slip boundary condition(or BC for short)is replaced by a Navier(BC)at the computational wall.Considering the steady state case,the authors show that the variational finite element model they have introduced,has a solution(vh,ph)h>0that converges to a solution of the steady state Navier-Stokes equation with Navier BC.     

Vortices and pinning effects for the Ginzburg‐Landau model in multiply connected domains

We consider the two‐dimensional Ginzburg‐Landau model with magnetic field for a superconductor with a multiply connected cross section. We study energy minimizers in the London limit as the Ginzburg‐Landau parameter κ = 1/? → ∞ to determine the number and asymptotic location of vortices. We show that the holes act as pinning sites, acquiring nonzero winding for bounded fields and attracting all vortices away from the interior for fields up to a critical value h_ex = O(|1n?|). At the critical level the pinning effect breaks down, and vortices appear in the interior of the superconductor at locations that we identify explicitly in terms of the solutions of an elliptic boundary value problem. The method involves sharp upper and lower energy estimates, and a careful analysis of the limiting problem that captures the interaction between the vortices and the holes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Asymptotic approximation for the solution to a semilinear parabolic problem in a thin star‐shaped junction

A semilinear parabolic problem is considered in a thin 3‐D star‐shaped junction that consists of several thin curvilinear cylinders that are joined through a domain (node) of diameter The purpose is to study the asymptotic behavior of the solution u_ε as ε→0, ie, when the star‐shaped junction is transformed in a graph. In addition, the passage to the limit is accompanied by special intensity factors and in nonlinear perturbed Robin boundary conditions. We establish qualitatively different cases in the asymptotic behavior of the solution depending on the value of the parameters {α_i}and {β_i}. Using the multiscale analysis, the asymptotic approximation for the solution is constructed and justified as the parameter ε→0. Namely, in each case, we derive the limit problem (ε=0)on the graph with the corresponding Kirchhoff transmission conditions (untypical in some cases) at the vertex, define other terms of the asymptotic approximation and prove appropriate asymptotic estimates that justify these coupling conditions at the vertex, and show the impact of the local geometric heterogeneity of the node and physical processes in the node on some properties of the solution.     

Boundary layers for cellular flows at high Péclet numbers

We analyze the behavior of solutions of steady advection‐diffusion problems in bounded domains with prescribed Dirichlet data when the Péclet number Pe ? 1 is large. We show that the solution converges to a constant in each flow cell outside a boundary layer of width O(?^1/2), ? = Pe^?1, around the flow separatrices. We construct an ?‐dependent approximate “water pipe problem” purely inside the boundary layer that provides a good approximation of the solution of the full problem but has ?‐independent computational cost. We also define an asymptotic problem on the graph of streamline separatrices and show that solution of the water pipe problem itself may be approximated by an asymptotic, ?‐independent problem on this graph. Finally, we show that the Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann map of the water pipe problem approximates the Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann map of the separatrix problem with an error independent of the flow outside the boundary layers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Droplet spreading: Intermediate scaling law by PDE methods

We consider the spreading of a thin droplet of viscous liquid on a plane surface driven by capillarity. The standard lubrication approximation leads to an evolution equation for the film height h that is ill‐posed when the spreading is limited by the no‐slip boundary condition at the liquid‐solid interface due to a singularity at the moving contact line. The most common relaxation of the no‐slip boundary condition removes this singularity but introduces a new physical length scale: the slippage length b. It is believed that this microscopic‐length scale only enters logarithmically in the effective (that is, macroscopic) spreading behavior. In this paper, we rigorously show that the naively expected spreading rate is indeed only altered by a logarithmic term involving b. More precisely, we prove a scaling law for the diameter of the apparent (that is, macroscopic) support of the droplet in time. This is an intermediate scaling law: It takes an initial layer to “forget” the initial droplet shape, whereas after a long time, the droplet is so thin that its spreading is governed by the physics on the scale b. Our proof works by deriving suitable estimates for physically relevant integral quantities: the free energy, the length of the apparent support, and their respective rates of change. As opposed to matched asymptotic methods, this PDE approach closely mimics a simple heuristic argument based on the gradient flow structure. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Natural hp‐BEM for the electric field integral equation with singular solutions

We apply the hp ‐version of the boundary element method (BEM) for the numerical solution of the electric field integral equation (EFIE) on a Lipschitz polyhedral surface Γ. The underlying meshes are supposed to be quasi‐uniform triangulations of Γ, and the approximations are based on either Raviart‐Thomas or Brezzi‐Douglas‐Marini families of surface elements. Nonsmoothness of Γ leads to singularities in the solution of the EFIE, severely affecting convergence rates of the BEM. However, the singular behavior of the solution can be explicitly specified using a finite set of functions (vertex‐, edge‐, and vertex‐edge singularities), which are the products of power functions and poly‐logarithmic terms. In this article, we use this fact to perform an a priori error analysis of the hp ‐BEM on quasi‐uniform meshes. We prove precise error estimates in terms of the polynomial degree p, the mesh size h, and the singularity exponents. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2012     

The time-dependent von K��rm��n plate equation as a limit of 3d nonlinear elasticity

The asymptotic behaviour of solutions of three-dimensional nonlinear elastodynamics in a thin plate is studied, as the thickness h of the plate tends to zero. Under appropriate scalings of the applied force and of the initial values in terms of h, it is shown that three-dimensional solutions of the nonlinear elastodynamic equation converge to solutions of the time-dependent von Kármán plate equation.     

Shallow water equations for power law and Bingham fluids

In this note,we provide a consistant thin layer theory for power law and Bingham incompressible fluids flowing down an inclined plane under the effect of gravity.The derivation of such equations is based on formal asymptotic expansions of solutions of Cauchy momentum equations in the shallow water scaling and in the neighbourhood of steady solutions so that we can close the average equations on the fluid height h and the total discharge rate q.     

Numerical analysis of a mixed elliptic problem with flux and convective boundary conditions to obtain a discrete solution of nonconstant sign

We consider a material that occupies a convex polygonal bounded domain Ω ⊂ ℝⁿ, with regular boundary Γ = Γ₁ ∪ Γ₂ (with Γ ∩ Γ = ∅︁) with meas (Γ₁) = |Γ₁| > 0 and |Γ₂| > 0. We assume, without loss of generality, that the melting temperature is 0°C. We consider the following steady‐state heat conduction problem in Ω: with α, q, B = Const > 0, and q and α represent the heat flux on Γ₂ and the heat transfer coefficient on Γ₁, respectively. In a previous article (Tabacman‐ Tarzia, J Diff Eq 77 (1989), 16– 37) sufficient and/or necessary conditions on data α, q, B, Ω, Γ₁, Γ₂ to obtain a temperature u of nonconstant sign in Ω (that is, a multidimensional steady‐state, two‐phase, Stefan problem) were studied. In this article, we consider a regular triangulation by finite element method of the domain Ω with Lagrange triangles of the type 1, with h > 0 the parameter of the discretization. We study sufficient (and/or necessary) conditions on data α, q, B, Ω, Γ₁, and Γ₂ to obtain a change of phase (steady‐state, two‐phase, discretized Stefan problem) in corresponding discretized domain, that is, a discrete temperature of nonconstant sign in Ω. Moreover, error bounds as a function of the parameter h, are also obtained. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq. 15: 355–369, 1999     

Asymptotic Analysis of Steady and Nonsteady Navier-Stokes Equations for Barotropic Compressible Flow

We study the asymptotic behavior of solutions to steady and nonsteady Navier-Stokes equations for barotropic compressible fluids with slip boundary conditions in small channels whose diameters converge to zero. We also derive the corresponding asymptotic one-dimensional equations and we analyze the sets, where L ¹-weak convergence of the pressure terms fails.     

Estimates for the Second Order Derivatives of Eigenvectors in Thin Anisotropic Plates with Variable Thickness

For the second order derivatives of eigenvectors in a thin anisotropic heterogeneous plate Ω_h, we derive estimates of their weighted L₂-norms with majorants whose dependence on the plate thickness h and on the eigenvalue number is expressed explicitly. These estimates maintain the asymptotic sharpness throughout the entire spectrum, whereas inside its low-frequency band the majorants remain bounded as h → +0. The latter is a rather unexpected fact, because for the first eigenfunction u¹ of a similar boundary-value problem for a scalar second order differential operator with variable coefficients, the norm ‖∇ _x ² u⁰; L₂(Ω_h)‖ is of order h⁻¹ and grows as h tends to zero. Bibliography: 35 titles. __________ Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 308, 2004, pp. 161–180.     

The heat conductivity problem in a thin plate with contrasting fiber inclusions

Based on the asymptotic analysis of an elliptic boundary value problem in a thin domain, a homogenized model of the heat distribution in a composite plate of small relative thickness h ∈ (0,1] is constructed under the assumption that thermal conductivity of the fiber and that of the filler contrast very much. Namely, the plate is assumed to contain several periodic families of fibers, the diameters of the fibers and the distances between the fibers being of the same order h. Fibers in each family have the same thermal conductivity; the values of thermal conductivity of fibers in different families may vary, but should be of the same order in h. Thermal conductivity of the filler is one order smaller in h. The asymptotics is constructed by means of matching the classical asymptotic ansatz for thin plates and fibers. The periodic structure of the composite is crucially used to construct the asymptotic expansion which consists of terms of the following two types: a periodic solution of the three-dimensional problems in the periodicity cell and a solution to a two-dimensional homogenized problem in the longitudinal cross-section of the plate. The asymptotic procedure provides a simple algorithm to compute coefficients in the homogenized second-order differential operator. The asymptotics obtained is justified using the weighted Friedrichs inequality and the error estimates are asymptotically sharp.     

Integral representation of a solution of the Neumann problem for the Stokes system

The Neumann problem for the Stokes system is studied on a domain in R ³ with Ljapunov bounded boundary. We construct a solution of this problem in the form of appropriate potentials and determine unknown source densities via integral equation systems on the boundary of the domain. The solution is given explicitly in the form of a series.     

The hp‐version of the BEM with quasi‐uniform meshes for a three‐dimensional crack problem: The case of a smooth crack having smooth boundary curve

The article considers a three‐dimensional crack problem in linear elasticity with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The crack in this model problem is assumed to be a smooth open surface with smooth boundary curve. The hp‐version of the boundary element method with weakly singular operator is applied to approximate the unknown jump of the traction which is not L₂‐regular due to strong edge singularities. Assuming quasi‐uniform meshes and uniform distributions of polynomial degrees, we prove an a priori error estimate in the energy norm. The estimate gives an upper bound for the error in terms of the mesh size h and the polynomial degree p. It is optimal in h for any given data and quasi‐optimal in p for sufficiently smooth data. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2008     

Asymptotic and numerical solutions of three‐dimensional boundary‐layer flow past a moving wedge

We consider a laminar boundary‐layer flow of a viscous and incompressible fluid past a moving wedge in which the wedge is moving either in the direction of the mainstream flow or opposite to it. The mainstream flows outside the boundary layer are approximated by a power of the distance from the leading boundary layer. The variable pressure gradient is imposed on the boundary layer so that the system admits similarity solutions. The model is described using 3‐dimensional boundary‐layer equations that contains 2 physical parameters: pressure gradient (β) and shear‐to‐strain‐rate ratio parameter (α). Two methods are used: a linear asymptotic analysis in the neighborhood of the edge of the boundary layer and the Keller‐box numerical method for the full nonlinear system. The results show that the flow field is divided into near‐field region (mainly dominated by viscous forces) and far‐field region (mainstream flows); the velocity profiles form through an interaction between 2 regions. Also, all simulations show that the subsequent dynamics involving overshoot and undershoot of the solutions for varying parameter characterizing 3‐dimensional flows. The pressure gradient (favorable) has a tendency of decreasing the boundary‐layer thickness in which the velocity profiles are benign. The wall shear stresses increase unboundedly for increasing α when the wedge is moving in the x‐direction, while the case is different when it is moving in the y‐direction. Further, both analysis show that 3‐dimensional boundary‐layer solutions exist in the range −1<α<∞. These are some interesting results linked to an important class of boundary‐layer flows.