A class of free boundary problems to quasilinear parabolic equations (Q1806070)

The following free boundary value problem to quasilinear parabolic equations is considered: \[ h_1(u)u_t- k_1 u_{xx}= 0\quad\text{in }\{(x,t); 0< x< s(t), 0< t\leq T_0\}, \] \[ h_2(u) u_t- k_2 u_{xx}= 0\quad\text{ in }\{(x,t); s(t)< x< 1, 0< t\leq T_0\}, \] \[ u(x,0)= u_0(x),\quad 0\leq x\leq 1, \] \[ u(0, t)= u(1, t)= 0, \] \[ u(s(t)+,t)= u(s(t)-,t)= 0, \] \[ k_2u_x(s(t)+, t)- k_1u_x(s(t)-,t)= a+ bu(s(t), t), \] \[ s(0)= s_0,\quad 0< s_0< 1, \] \[ s'(t)= a+ bu(s(t), t). \] This problem comes from the phenomena of ``secondary frost heave'' in porous media. The global existence and the uniqueness of the solutions under some conditions are proved by Schauder's fixed point theorem. In order to derive the results, a diffraction problem of new type is studied as well in advance by the author.