A low-order approximation for viscous-capillary phase transition dynamics (Q2450772)

This paper provides a new approximate model for computing 1d flows of two-phases materials which are basically described by the Ericksen model. There is already a well-known approximate model, the so-called viscosity-capillarity regularisation which involves a third order term. This term seems to pose some difficulties when one performs numerical computations. This is why the new model focuses on this term: a new variable is introduced (with some physical ground) and an associated elliptic equation with a coupling constant \(\alpha\) allows to relax this third order term. When \(\alpha\) goes to infinity one formally recovers the viscosity-capillarity model. The author shows that the Cauchy problem for the new model is well-posed, and that if \(\alpha\) goes to infinity there is a subsequence such that the related sequence of solutions converges to a solution of the weak form of the viscosity-capillarity model. Finally, numerical computations illustrate the convergence and show that the new model can be solved faster than the viscosity-capillarity model.