Finite element method for a generalized constant delay diffusion equation

Abstract

This paper considers the finite element method to solve a generalized constant delay diffusion equation. The regularity of the solution of the considered model is investigated, which is the first time to discover that the solution has non-uniform multi-singularity in time compared with Tan et al. (2022). To overcome the multi-singularity, a symmetrical graded mesh is used to devise the fully discrete finite element scheme for the considered problem based on L1 formula of the Caputo fractional derivative and fractional trapezoidal formula of the Riemann–Liouville fractional integral. Then we investigate the unconditional stability of this scheme. Next, the local truncation errors of the L1 formula and the fractional trapezoidal formula are analyzed in detail, especially the later one is discussed at the first time, under the multi-singularity of the solution and the symmetrical graded mesh. Using these error results, we obtain the convergence of the proposed numerical scheme. Finally, some numerical tests are provided to verify the obtained theoretical results.