2021, Mielke, Alexander

We consider a non-negative and one-homogeneous energy functional J on a Hilbert space. The paper provides an exact relation between the solutions of the associated gradient-flow equations and the energetic solutions generated via the rate-independent system given in terms of the time-dependent functional E(t,u)=tJ(u) and the norm as a dissipation distance. The relation between the two flows is given via a solution-dependent reparametrization of time that can be guessed from the homogeneities of energy and dissipations in the two equations. We provide several examples including the total-variation flow and show that equivalence of the two systems through a solution dependent reparametrization of the time. Making the relation mathematically rigorous includes a careful analysis of the jumps in energetic solutions which correspond to constant-speed intervals for the solutions of the gradient-flow equation. As a major result we obtain a non-trivial existence and uniqueness result for the energetic rate-independent system.

2016, Haskovec, Jan, Hittmeir, Sabine, Markowich, Peter, Mielke, Alexander

We derive thermodynamically consistent models of reaction-diffusion equations coupled to a heat equation. While the total energy is conserved, the total entropy serves as a driving functional such that the full coupled system is a gradient flow. The novelty of the approach is the Onsager structure, which is the dual form of a gradient system, and the formulation in terms of the densities and the internal energy. In these variables it is possible to assume that the entropy density is strictly concave such that there is a unique maximizer (thermodynamical equilibrium) given linear constraints on the total energy and suitable density constraints. We consider two particular systems of this type, namely, a diffusion-reaction bipolar energy transport system, and a drift-diffusion-reaction energy transport system with confining potential. We prove corresponding entropy-entropy production inequalities with explicitly calculable constants and establish the convergence to thermodynamical equilibrium, at first in entropy and further in L1 using Cziszàr-Kullback-Pinsker type inequalities.

2022, Schmeller, Leonie, Peschka, Dirk

We construct a formal gradient flow structure for phase-field evolution coupled to mechanics in Lagrangian coordinates, present common ways to couple the evolution and provide an incremental minimization strategy. While the usual presentation of continuum mechanics is intentionally very brief, the focus of this paper is on an extensible functional analytical framework and a discretization approach that preserves an appropriate variational structure as much as possible. As examples, we first present phase separation and swelling of gels and then the approach of stationary states of multiphase systems with surface tension and show the robustness of the general approach.