A Comparative Analysis of Finite Element and Finite Difference Methods for Free Surface Transport

Abstract

The present work consists of the comparative evaluation of the finite element method (FEM) and the finite difference method (FDM) for the analysis of free surface transport within a hollow ampule. The phenomenon of motion reversal of the five surfaces obtained earlier by the FDM is also analyzed by the FEM. It is found that the times at which the motion reversal occurs are independent of the applied pressure difference for any fixed dimension of the hollow ampule. Furthermore, it appears that the displacement of the inner and outer free surfaces varies linearly with the magnitude of the applied pressure difference. Finally, detailed comparative discussion is presented on the differences between the results obtained by FDM and FEM.