Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences

We examine the dynamics of materials characterized by the presence of a deformation threshold beyond which no deformation is possible. The class of bodies that we are interested in studying are described by an implicit constitutive relationship between the Cauchy stress and the deformation gradient.

A specific one-dimensional dynamical problem is studied, showing that the mathematical model takes the form of a hyperbolic free boundary problem in which the free boundary conditions can be of two different types, selected according to whether the stress is continuous at the interface (separating the deformable region from the fully strained region), or whether it is discontinuous. Both situations have been analyzed. Sample numerical computations are carried out using data that are relevant to biological materials.

A comparison with the problem obtained from a limiting procedure for a constitutive model with a piecewise linear elastic response is performed, showing a very interesting feature, namely that the limit does not lead to the solution of the model with a threshold. This is however not surprising as the latter exhibits dissipative behavior.

We design an adaptive finite element method (AFEM) for mixed boundary value problems associated with the differential operator A-∇div in H(div, Ω). For A being a variable coefficient matrix with possible jump discontinuities, we provide a complete a posteriori error analysis which applies to both Raviart–Thomas ℝ𝕋ⁿ and Brezzi–Douglas–Marini 𝔹𝔻𝕄ⁿ elements of any order n in dimensions d = 2, 3. We prove a strict reduction of the total error between consecutive iterates, namely a contraction property for the sum of energy error and oscillation, the latter being solution-dependent. We present numerical experiments for ℝ𝕋ⁿ with n = 0, 1 and 𝔹𝔻𝕄¹ which document the performance of AFEM and corroborate as well as extend the theory.

The aim of this paper is first to review the derivation of a model describing the propagation of an optical wave in a photorefractive medium and to present various mathematical results on this model: Cauchy problem, solitary waves.

In this paper we introduce an analysis technique for the solution of the steady advection–diffusion equation by the PSI (Positive Streamwise Implicit) method. We formulate this approximation as a nonlinear finite element Petrov–Galerkin scheme, and use tools of functional analysis to perform a convergence, error and maximum principle analysis. We prove that the scheme is first-order accurate in H¹ norm, and well-balanced up to second order for convection-dominated flows. We give some numerical evidence that the scheme is only first-order accurate in L² norm. Our analysis also holds for other nonlinear Fluctuation Splitting schemes that can be built from first-order monotone schemes by the Abgrall and Mezine's technique.

In this paper, we discuss convergence results for general (successive) subspace correction methods for solving nearly singular systems of equations. We provide parameter independent estimates under appropriate assumptions on the subspace solvers and space decompositions. The main assumption is that any component in the kernel of the singular part of the system can be decomposed into a sum of local (in each subspace) kernel components. This assumption also covers the case of "hidden" nearly singular behavior due to decreasing mesh size in the systems resulting from finite element discretizations of second order elliptic problems. To illustrate our abstract convergence framework, we analyze a multilevel method for the Neumann problem (H(grad) system), and also two-level methods for H(div) and H(curl) systems.