Numerical solutions of two-dimensional Burgers' equations using modified Bi-cubic B-spline finite elements

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient numerical scheme for non-linear two-dimensional (2D) parabolic partial differential equations using modified bi-cubic B-spline functions. As a test case, method has been applied successfully to 2D Burgers equations. Design/methodology/approach - The scheme is based on collocation of modified bi-cubic B-Spline functions. The authors used these functions for space variable and for its derivatives. Collocation form of the partial differential equation results into system of first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The obtained system of ODEs has been solved by strong stability preserving Runge-Kutta method. The computational complexity of the method is O(p log(p)), where p denotes total number of mesh points. Findings - Obtained numerical solutions are better than those available in literature. Ease of implementation and very small size of computational work are two major advantages of the present method. Moreover, this method provides approximate solutions not only at the grid points but also at any point in the solution domain. Originality/value - First time, modified bi-cubic B-spline functions have been applied to non-linear 2D parabolic partial differential equations. Efficiency of the proposed method has been confirmed with numerical experiments. The authors conclude that the method provides convergent approximations and handles the equations very well in different cases.