We consider the following system of equations: where the spatial average ⟨ B ⟩ = 0 and μ > σ > 0. This system plays an important role as a Ginzburg-Landau equation with a mean field in several areas of the applied sciences and the steady-states of this system extend to periodic steady-states with period L on the real line which are observed in experiments. Our approach is by combining methods of nonlinear functional analysis such as nonlocal eigenvalue problems and the variational characterization of eigenvalues with Jacobi elliptic integrals. This enables us to give a complete classification of all stable steady-states for any positive L.

Let , N ≥2 be a bounded smooth domain and α > 1. We are interested in the singular elliptic equation with Neumann boundary conditions. In this paper, a complete description of all continuous radially symmetric solutions is given. In particular, we construct nontrivial smooth solutions as well as rupture solutions. Here a continuous solution is said to be a rupture solution if its zero set is nonempty. When N = 2 and α = 3, the equation is used to model steady states of van der Waals force driven thin films of viscous fluids. We also consider the physical problem when total volume of the fluid is prescribed.

The intrusion of a constant density fluid at the interface of a two-layer fluid is considered. Numerical solutions are computed for a model of a steady intrusion resulting from flow down a bank and across a broad lake or reservoir. The incoming fluid is homogeneous and spreads across the lake at its level of neutral buoyancy. Solutions are obtained for a range of different inflow angles, flow rate and density differences. Except in extreme cases, the nature of the solution is predicted quite well by linear theory, with the wavelength at any Froude number given by a dispersion relation and wave steepness determined largely by entry angle. However, some extreme solutions with rounded meandering flows and non-unique solutions in the parameter space are also obtained.

We study blow-up behaviour of solutions of the fourth-order thin film equation which contains a backward (unstable) diffusion term. Our main goal is a detailed study of the case of the first critical exponent where N ≥ 1 is the space dimension. We show that the free-boundary problem with zero contact angle and zero-flux conditions admits continuous sets (branches) of blow-up self-similar solutions. For the Cauchy problem in RN × R+, we detect compactly supported blow-up patterns, which have infinitely many oscillations near interfaces and exhibit a “maximal” regularity there. As a key principle, we use the fact that, for small positive n, such solutions are close to the similarity solutions of the semilinear unstable limit Cahn-Hilliard equation which are better understood and have been studied earlier [19]. We also discuss some general aspects of formation of self-similar blow-up singularities for other values of p.

The dynamic behaviour of magneto-mechanical sensors and actuators can be completely described by Maxwell's and Navier-Lamé's partial differential equations (PDEs) with appropriate coupling terms reflecting the interactions of these fields and with the corresponding initial, boundary and interface conditions. Neglecting the displacement currents, which can be done for the classes of problems considered in this paper, and introducing the vector potential for the magnetic field, we arrive at a system of degenerate parabolic PDEs for the vector potential coupled with the hyperbolic PDEs for the displacements.Usually the computational domain, the finite element discretization, the time integration, and the solver are different for the magnetic and mechanical parts. For instance, the vector potential is approximated by edge elements whereas the finite element discretization of the displacements is based on nodal elements on different meshes. The most time consuming modules in the solution procedure are the solvers for both, the magnetical and the mechanical finite element equations arising at each step of the time integration procedure. We use geometrical multigrid solvers which are different for both parts. These multigrid solvers enable us to solve quite efficiently not only academic test problems, but also transient 3D technical magneto-mechanical systems of high complexity such as solenoid valves and electro-magnetic-acoustic transducers. The results of the computer simulation are in very good agreement with the experimental data.