Construction of Solutions and L 1–error Estimates of Viscous Methods for Scalar Conservation Laws with Boundary

Abstract

This paper is concerned with an initial boundary value problem for strictly convex conservation laws whose weak entropy solution is in the piecewise smooth solution class consisting of finitely many discontinuities. By the structure of the weak entropy solution of the corresponding initial value problem and the boundary entropy condition developed by Bardos–Leroux–Nedelec, we give a construction method to the weak entropy solution of the initial boundary value problem. Compared with the initial value problem, the weak entropy solution of the initial boundary value problem includes the following new interaction type: an expansion wave collides with the boundary and the boundary reflects a new shock wave which is tangent to the boundary. According to the structure and some global estimates of the weak entropy solution, we derive the global L1–error estimate for viscous methods to this initial boundary value problem by using the matching travelling wave solutions method. If the inviscid solution includes the interaction that an expansion wave collides with the boundary and the boundary reflects a new shock wave which is tangent to the boundary, or the inviscid solution includes some shock wave which is tangent to the boundary, then the error of the viscosity solution to the inviscid solution is bounded by O(e1/2) in L1–norm; otherwise, as in the initial value problem, the L1–error bound is O(e| ln e|).