Partial differential equations (PDEs) are used, with huge success, to model phenomena arising across all scientific and engineering disciplines. However, across an equally wide swath, there exist situations in which PDE models fail to adequately model observed phenomena or are not the best available model for that purpose. On the other hand, in many situations, nonlocal models that account for interaction occurring at a distance have been shown to more faithfully and effectively model observed phenomena that involve possible singularities and other anomalies. In this article, we consider a generic nonlocal model, beginning with a short review of its definition, the properties of its solution, its mathematical analysis, and specific concrete examples. We then provide extensive discussions about numerical methods, including finite element, finite difference, and spectral methods, for determining approximate solutions of the nonlocal models considered. In that discussion, we pay particular attention to a special class of nonlocal models that are the most widely studied in the literature, namely those involving fractional derivatives. The article ends with brief considerations of several modeling and algorithmic extensions which serve to show the wide applicability of nonlocal modeling.
For some spatially nonlocal diffusion models with a finite range of nonlocal interactions measured by a positive parameter $δ$, we review their formulation defined on a bounded domain subject to various conditions that correspond to some inhomogeneous data. We consider their consistency to similar inhomogeneous boundary value problems of classical partial differential equation (PDE) models as the nonlocal interaction kernel gets localized in the local $δ\to 0$ limit, and at the same time, for rescaled fractional type kernels, to corresponding inhomogeneous nonlocal boundary value problems of f…
We analyze the well-posedness of an anisotropic, nonlocal diffusion equation. Establishing an equivalence between weighted and unweighted anisotropic nonlocal diffusion operators in the vein of unified nonlocal vector calculus, we apply our analysis to a class of fractional-order operators and present rigorous estimates for the solution of the corresponding anisotropic anomalous diffusion equation. Furthermore, we extend our analysis to the anisotropic diffusion-advection equation and prove well-posedness for fractional orders s in [0.5,1). We also present an application of the advection-diffu…
We present the analytical formulation and the finite element solution of a fractional-order nonlocal continuum model of a Euler-Bernoulli beam. Employing consistent definitions for the fractional-order kinematic relations, the governing equations and the associated boundary conditions are derived based on variational principles. Remarkably, the fractional-order nonlocal model gives rise to a self-adjoint and positive-definite system accepting a unique solution. Further, owing to the difficulty in obtaining analytical solutions to this boundary value problem, a finite element model for the frac…
This study presents the analytical and finite element formulation of a geometrically nonlinear and fractional-order nonlocal model of an Euler-Bernoulli beam. The finite nonlocal strains in the Euler-Bernoulli beam are obtained from a frame-invariant and dimensionally consistent fractional-order (nonlocal) continuum formulation. The finite fractional strain theory provides a positive definite formulation that results in a mathematically well-posed formulation which is consistent across loading and boundary conditions. The governing equations and the corresponding boundary conditions of the geo…
We construct numerical approximations for Mean Field Games with fractional or nonlocal diffusions. The schemes are based on semi-Lagrangian approximations of the underlying control problems/games along with dual approximations of the distributions of agents. The methods are monotone, stable, and consistent, and we prove convergence along subsequences for (i) degenerate equations in one space dimension and (ii) nondegenerate equations in arbitrary dimensions. We also give results on full convergence and convergence to classical solutions. Numerical tests are implemented for a range of different…
Nonlocal operators of fractional type are a popular modeling choice for applications that do not adhere to classical diffusive behavior; however, one major challenge in nonlocal simulations is the selection of model parameters. In this work we propose an optimization-based approach to parameter identification for fractional models with an optional truncation radius. We formulate the inference problem as an optimal control problem where the objective is to minimize the discrepancy between observed data and an approximate solution of the model, and the control variables are the fractional order …
This study presents the analytical formulation and the finite element solution of fractional order nonlocal plates under both Mindlin and Kirchoff formulations. By employing consistent definitions for fractional-order kinematic relations, the governing equations and the associated boundary conditions are derived based on variational principles. Remarkably, the fractional-order nonlocal model gives rise to a self-adjoint and positive-definite system that accepts a unique solution. Further, owing to the difficulty in obtaining analytical solutions to this fractional-order differ-integral problem…
This study presents a comprehensive framework for constitutive modeling of a frame-invariant fractional-order approach to nonlocal thermoelasticity in solids. For this purpose, thermodynamic and mechanical balance laws are derived for nonlocal solids modeled using the fractional-order continuum theory. This includes revisiting the Cauchy's hypothesis for surface traction vector in order to account for long-range interactions across the domain of nonlocal solid. Remarkably, it is shown that the fractional-order model allows the rigorous localized application of thermodynamic balance principles …
In this article, we propose a linearized fully-discrete scheme for solving a time fractional nonlocal diffusion-wave equation of Kirchhoff type. The scheme is established by using the finite element method in space and the $L1$ scheme in time. We derive the $α$-robust \textit{a priori} bound and \textit{a priori} error estimate for the fully-discrete solution in $L^{\infty}\big(H^1_0(Ω)\big)$ norm, where $α\in (1,2)$ is the order of time fractional derivative. Finally, we perform some numerical experiments to verify the theoretical results.
This study presents the framework to perform a stability analysis of nonlocal solids whose response is formulated according to the fractional-order continuum theory. In this formulation, space fractional-order operators are used to capture the nonlocal response of the medium by introducing nonlocal kinematic relations. First, we use the geometrically nonlinear fractional-order kinematic relations within an energy-based approach to establish the Lagrange-Dirichlet stability criteria for fractional-order nonlocal structures. This energy-based approach to nonlocal structural stability is possible…
We consider parametrized problems driven by spatially nonlocal integral operators with parameter-dependent kernels. In particular, kernels with varying nonlocal interaction radius $δ> 0$ and fractional Laplace kernels, parametrized by the fractional power $s\in(0,1)$, are studied. In order to provide an efficient and reliable approximation of the solution for different values of the parameters, we develop the reduced basis method as a parametric model order reduction approach. Major difficulties arise since the kernels are not affine in the parameters, singular, and discontinuous. Moreover, th…
Asymptotic spectral properties and preconditioning of an approximated nonlocal Helmholtz equation with Caputo fractional Laplacian and variable coefficient wave number $μ$
This study presents a generalized multiscale nonlocal elasticity theory that leverages distributed order fractional calculus to accurately capture coexisting multiscale and nonlocal effects within a macroscopic continuum. The nonlocal multiscale behavior is captured via distributed order fractional constitutive relations derived from a nonlocal thermodynamic formulation. The governing equations of the inhomogeneous continuum are obtained via the Hamilton principle. As a generalization of the constant order fractional continuum theory, the distributed order theory can model complex media charac…
