TY - JOUR T1 - Computer simulations of phase field drops on super-hydrophobic surfaces JF - Journal of Computational Physics Y1 - 2017 A1 - Livio Fedeli KW - Multigrid KW - Phase field KW - Quasi-Newton KW - Super-hydrophobicity AB -

We present a novel quasi-Newton continuation procedure that efficiently solves the system of nonlinear equations arising from the discretization of a phase field model for wetting phenomena. We perform a comparative numerical analysis that shows the improved speed of convergence gained with respect to other numerical schemes. Moreover, we discuss the conditions that, on a theoretical level, guarantee the convergence of this method. At each iterative step, a suitable continuation procedure develops and passes to the nonlinear solver an accurate initial guess. Discretization performs through cell-centered finite differences. The resulting system of equations is solved on a composite grid that uses dynamic mesh refinement and multi-grid techniques. The final code achieves three-dimensional, realistic computer experiments comparable to those produced in laboratory settings. This code offers not only new insights into the phenomenology of super-hydrophobicity, but also serves as a reliable predictive tool for the study of hydrophobic surfaces.

VL - 344 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002199911730356X ER -