
# 3.3 Notes on similarity solutions

The transient one dimensional heat equation may be represented: $$$$\frac{\partial T}{\partial \tau}=\alpha \frac{\partial^2 T}{\partial X^2} \tag{3.80}$$$$

where $$\tau$$ and $$X$$ denote time and spatial coordinates, respectively. The temperature $$T$$ is a function of time and space $$T=T(X,\tau)$$, and $$\alpha$$ is the thermal diffusivity. (See appendix B in Numeriske Beregninger for a derivation)

Figure 42: Beam in the right half-space in one-dimension.

In Figure 42 a one-dimensional beam in the right half-space ($$0\leq X < \infty$$) is illustrated. The beam has initially a temperature $$T_s$$, but at time $$\tau=0$$, the temperature at the left end $$X=0$$ is abruptly set to $$T_0$$, and kept constant thereafter.

We wish to compute the temperature distribution in the beam as a function of time $$\tau$$. The partial differential equation describing this problem is given by equation (3.80), and to model the time evolution of the temperature we provide the following initial condition: $$$$T(X,\tau)=T_s,\ \tau < 0 \tag{3.81}$$$$

along with the boundary conditions which do not change in time: $$$$T(0,\tau)=T_0,\ T(\infty,\tau)=T_s \tag{3.82}$$$$

Before we solve the problem numerically, we scale equation (3.80) by the introduction of the following dimensionless variables: $$$$u=\frac{T-T_0}{T_s-T_0},\qquad x=\frac{X}{L},\qquad t=\frac{\tau \cdot \alpha}{L^2} \tag{3.83}$$$$

where $$L$$ is a characteristic length. By substitution of the dimensionless variables in equation (3.83) in (3.80), we get the following: $$$$\frac{\partial u}{\partial t}=\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2},\qquad 0 < x < \infty \tag{3.84}$$$$ accompanied by the dimensionless initial condition: $$$$u(x,t)=1,\quad t < 0 \tag{3.85}$$$$ and dimensionless boundary conditions: $$$$u(0,t)=0,\qquad u(\infty,t)=1 \tag{3.86}$$$$

The particular choice of the time scale in $$t$$ (3.83) has been made to make the thermal diffusivity vanish and to present the governing partial on a canonical form (3.84) which has many analytical solutions and a wide range of applications. The dimensionless time in (3.83) is a dimensionless number, which is commonly referred to as the Fourier-number.

We will now try to transform the partial differential equation (3.84) with boundary conditions (3.85) to a simpler ordinary differential equations. We will do so by introducing some appropriate scales for the time and space coordinates: $$$$\bar{x}=a\, x \qquad \text{and} \qquad \bar{t}=b\, t \tag{3.87}$$$$

where $$a$$ and $$b$$ are some positive constants. Substitution of equation (3.87) into equation (3.84) yields the following equation: $$$$\frac{\partial u}{\partial \bar{t}}=\frac{a^2}{b}\frac{\partial^2u}{\partial \bar{x}^2} \tag{3.88}$$$$

We chose $$b=a^2$$ to bring the scaled equation (3.88) on the canonical, dimensionless form of equation (3.84) with the boundary conditions: $$$$u(x,t)=u(\bar{x},\bar{t})=u(ax,a^2t),\qquad \text{with} \quad b=a^2 \tag{3.89}$$$$

For (3.89) to be independent of $$a > 0$$, the solution $$u(x,t)$$ has to be on the form: $$$$u(x,t)=f\left( \frac{x}{\sqrt{t}}\right),\ g\left( \frac{x^2}{t}\right),\ \text{etc.} \tag{3.90}$$$$

and for convenience we choose the first alternative: $$$$u(x,t)=f\left( \frac{x}{\sqrt{t}}\right) = f \left (\eta \right ) \tag{3.91}$$$$

where we have introduced a new similarity variable $$\eta$$ defined as: $$$$\eta=\frac{x}{2 \sqrt{t}} \tag{3.92}$$$$

and the factor $$2$$ has been introduced to obtain a simpler end result only. By introducing the similar variable $$\eta$$ in equation (3.91), we transform the solution (and the differential equation) from being a function of $$x$$ and $$t$$, to only depend on one variable, namely $$\eta$$. A consequence of this transformation is that one profile $$u(\eta)$$, will define the solution for all $$x$$ and $$t$$, i.e. the solutions will be similar and is denoted a similarity solution for that reason and (3.92) a similarity transformation.

The Transformation in equation (3.92) is often referred to as the Boltzmann-transformation.

The original PDE in equation (3.84) has been transformed to an ODE, which will become clearer from the following. We have introduced the following variables: $$$$t=\frac{\tau\cdot\alpha}{L^2},\qquad \eta=\frac{x}{2 \sqrt{t}}=\frac{X}{2 \sqrt{\tau\alpha}} \tag{3.93}$$$$

Let us now solve equation (3.84) analytically and introduce: $$$$u=f(\eta) \tag{3.94}$$$$

with the boundary conditions: $$$$f(0)=0,\ f(\infty)=1 \tag{3.95}$$$$

Based on the mathematical representation of the solution in equation (3.94) we may express the partial derivatives occurring in equation (3.84) as: \begin{align*} \frac{\partial u}{\partial t} & =\frac{\partial u}{\partial\eta}\left( \frac{\partial n}{\partial t}\right)=f'(\eta)\cdot\left( -\frac{x}{4t\sqrt{t}}\right)=-f'(\eta)\frac{\eta}{2t} \\ \frac{\partial u}{\partial x}&=\frac{\partial u}{\partial\eta}\left( \frac{\partial\eta}{\partial x}\right)=f'(\eta)\frac{1}{2\sqrt{t}},\qquad \frac{\partial^2u}{\partial x^2}=\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\left( f'(\eta)\frac{1}{2\sqrt{t}}\right)=f''(\eta)\frac{1}{4t} \end{align*}

By substituting the expressions for $$\dfrac{\partial u}{\partial t}$$ and $$\dfrac{\partial^2u}{\partial x^2}$$ in equation (3.84) we transform the original PDE in equation (3.84) to an ODE in equation (3.96) as stated above: \begin{align*} f''(\eta)\frac{1}{4t}+f'(\eta)\frac{\eta}{2t}=0 \end{align*}

or equivalently: $$$$f''(\eta)+2\eta f'(\eta)=0 \tag{3.96}$$$$

The ODE in equation (3.96) may be solved directly by integration. First, we rewrite equation (3.96) as: $$\begin{equation*} \frac{f''(\eta)}{f'(\eta)}=-2\eta\ \end{equation*}$$ which may be integrated to yield: $$$$\ln f'(\eta)=-\eta^2+\ln C_1 \tag{3.97}$$$$ which may be simplified by and exponential transformation on both sides: $$\begin{equation*} f'(\eta)=C_1e^{-\eta^2} \end{equation*}$$ and integrated once again to yield: $$$$f(\eta)=C_1 \int_0^\eta e^{-t^2}\,dt \tag{3.98}$$$$

where we have used the boundary condition $$f(0)=0$$ from (3.95).

The integral in (3.98) is related with the error function: $$\begin{equation*} \int_0^x e^{-t^2}dt=\frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2} \text{erf(x)} \end{equation*}$$ where the error function $$erf(x)$$ is defined as: $$$$\frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}}\int_0^x e^{-t^2}dt \tag{3.99}$$$$

Substitution of equation (3.99) in equation (3.98) yields: $$$$f(\eta)=C_1\frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}\text{erf}(\eta ) \tag{3.100}$$$$

As the error function has the property $$\mathrm{erf(\eta)} \to 1$$ for $$\eta\to\infty$$ we get: $$C_1=\dfrac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}}$$ , and subsequent substitution of equation (3.100) yields:

A similarity solution for the one-dimensional heat equation $$$$u(x,t)=\text{erf} (\eta)=\text{erf} \left(\frac{x}{2\sqrt{t}}\right) \tag{3.101}$$$$
If we wish to express $$u(x,t)$$ by means of the original variables we have from equation (3.83): $$$$\frac{T(X,\tau)-T_0}{T_s-T_0}=\text{erf} \left(\frac{X}{2\sqrt{\tau\cdot\alpha}}\right) \tag{3.102}$$$$

In Figure 43 the error function $$\text{erf}(\eta)$$, which is a solution of the one-dimensional heat equation (3.84), is plotted along with the complementary error function $$\text{erfc}(\eta)$$ defined as: $$$$\text{erfc}(\eta)=1-\text{erf}(\eta)=\frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}}\int_{\eta}^\infty e^{-t^2} \;dt \tag{3.103}$$$$

Figure 43: The error function is a similarity solution of the one-dimensional heat equation expressed by the similarity variable $$\eta$$.