Applied Mathematics Commons^™

Properties And Convergence Of State-Based Laplacians, Kelsey Wells

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The classical Laplace operator is a vital tool in modeling many physical behaviors, such as elasticity, diffusion and fluid flow. Incorporated in the Laplace operator is the requirement of twice differentiability, which implies continuity that many physical processes lack. In this thesis we introduce a new nonlocal Laplace-type operator, that is capable of dealing with strong discontinuities. Motivated by the state-based peridynamic framework, this new nonlocal Laplacian exhibits double nonlocality through the use of iterated integral operators. The operator introduces additional degrees of flexibility that can allow better representation of physical phenomena at different scales and in materials with different …