On a fractional step-splitting scheme for the Cahn-Hilliard equation

Abstract

Purpose

For a partial differential equation with a fourth-order derivative such as the Cahn-Hilliard equation, it is always a challenge to design numerical schemes that can handle the restrictive time step introduced by this higher order term. The purpose of this paper is to employ a fractional splitting method to isolate the convective, the nonlinear second-order and the fourth-order differential terms.

Design/methodology/approach

The full equation is then solved by consistent schemes for each differential term independently. In addition to validating the second-order accuracy, the authors will demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method by validating the dissipation of the Ginzberg-Lindau energy and the coarsening properties of the solution.

Findings

The scheme is second-order accuracy, the authors will demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method by validating the dissipation of the Ginzberg-Lindau energy and the coarsening properties of the solution.

Originality/value

The authors believe that this is the first time the equation is handled numerically using the fractional step method. Apart from the fact that the fractional step method substantially reduces computational time, it has the advantage of simplifying a complex process efficiently. This method permits the treatment of each segment of the original equation separately and piece them together, in a way that will be explained shortly, without destroying the properties of the equation.

Citation

Aderogba, A.A., Chapwanya, M. and Djoko, J.K. (2014), "On a fractional step-splitting scheme for the Cahn-Hilliard equation", Engineering Computations, Vol. 31 No. 7, pp. 1151-1168. https://doi.org/10.1108/EC-09-2012-0223