Nonlinear boundary value problems in science and engineering (Q5916298)

The aim of this book is to give an up-to-date account of analytic methods which are known to solve nonlinear boundary problems exactly. It is a continuation of earlier papers and books of the authors. The contents are as follows. In chapter 1 Bäcklund and involutory transformations are being studied; there is a generalized discussion and a treatment of a.o. Burgers' equation, heat conduction, porous media flow, elastic wave and water wave theory. In chapter 2 Bergman-type expansions for Stefan-Boltzmann problems and also for moving boundary problems are given. Transformations of the type discussed here can be used to study model constitutive laws (Chapter 3) for instance to reduce the system and to obtain canonical forms. A substantial chapter 4 deals with invariance group analysis and many applications. There are appendices with tables of symmetry group generators, the nonlinear superposition principle for Pinney's equation and a glossary of Lie- algebraic terms. This is a highly technical but useful book, very nicely published.