Two linear energy stable lumped mass finite element schemes for the viscous Cahn–Hilliard equation on curved surfaces in 3D

Abstract

The evolution of a dynamic system on complex curved 3D surfaces is essential for the understanding of natural phenomena, the development of new materials, and engineering design optimization. In this work, we study the viscous Cahn–Hilliard equation on curved surfaces and develop two linear energy stable finite element schemes based on the lumped mass method. Two stabilizing terms are added to ensure both the unique solvability and unconditional energy stability. We prove rigorously that two schemes are unconditionally energy stable . Numerical experiments are presented to verify theoretical results and to show the robustness and accuracy of the proposed method.