Heat conduction with flux condition on a free patch (Q1884731)

Let \(\Omega\) be a domain in \({ \mathbb R }^{3}\). The boundary \(\Gamma\) of \(\Omega\) is divided into four subsets: \(\Gamma_D\), where a Dirichlet condition is imposed; \(\Gamma_N^1\), where a heat exchange condition is imposed; \(\Gamma_N^2\), within which a patch is allowed to move, but outside the patch there is again a heat exchange condition; and the moving patch \(\Gamma_C\) where a heat flux condition is imposed. Within \(\Omega\times(0,T]\), the differential equation \(u_t - \text{div}(k(u)\nabla u)=0\) must be satisfied. A differential equation also governs the motion of the (convex) patch, which moves as a rigid object within the convex planar domain \(\Gamma_N^2\). The main result is an existence theorem for this problem.