A comparative analysis of numerical techniques applied to a model of the otolith membrane (Q1205928)

This paper describes three alternative finite difference methods applied to a model of the otolith membrane. The in-plane displacement of a thin elastic membrane is modeled by a second-order system of elliptic partial differential equations with a fixed boundary closely matching the shape of the otolith membrane. The first two finite difference methods impose a rectangular grid over the shape of the otolith membrane and use different boundary extrapolation schemes applied to boundary conditions. The third method uses an optimization technique to generate a non-uniform grid which conforms to the shape of the otolith membrane, and then generates a rectangular grid via general coordinate transformations. The coordinate transformations are applied to the partial differential equations and finite differences applied to the new rectangular grid with fixed boundary conditions.