Abstract Variable-order (VO) fractional differential equations (FDEs) with a time (t), space (x) or other variables dependent order have been successfully applied to investigate time and/or space dependent dynamics. This study aims to provide a survey of the recent relevant literature and findings in primary definitions, models, numerical methods and their applications. This review first offers an overview over the existing definitions proposed from different physical and application backgrounds, and then reviews several widely used numerical schemes in simulation. Moreover, as a powerful mathematical tool, the VO-FDE models have been remarkably acknowledged as an alternative and precise approach in effectively describing real-world phenomena. Hereby, we also make a brief summary on different physical models and typical applications. This review is expected to help the readers for the selection of appropriate definition, model and numerical method to solve specific physical and engineering problems.

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A review on variable-order fractional differential equations: mathematical foundations, physical models, numerical methods and applications

Variable-order fractional operators were conceived and mathematically formalized only in recent years. The possibility of formulating evolutionary governing equations has led to the successful application of these operators to the modelling of complex real-world problems ranging from mechanics, to transport processes, to control theory, to biology. Variable-order fractional calculus (VO-FC) is a relatively less known branch of calculus that offers remarkable opportunities to simulate interdisciplinary processes. Recognizing this untapped potential, the scientific community has been intensively exploring applications of VO-FC to the modelling of engineering and physical systems. This review is intended to serve as a starting point for the reader interested in approaching this fascinating field. We provide a concise and comprehensive summary of the progress made in the development of VO-FC analytical and computational methods with application to the simulation of complex physical systems. More specifically, following a short introduction of the fundamental mathematical concepts, we present the topic of VO-FC from the point of view of practical applications in the context of scientific modelling.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.2019.0498

Applications of variable-order fractional operators: a review

In the creep tests, stress is no longer a constant and increases gradually under the influence of damage occurring during accelerating creep, which is a slow-loading process rather than a conventio...

A nonlinear creep damage model for salt rock

Soft materials often exhibit a distinctive power-law viscoelastic response arising from broad distribution of time-scales present in their complex internal structure. A promising tool to accurately describe the rheological behaviour of soft materials is fractional calculus. However, its use in the scientific community remains limited due to the unusual notation and non-trivial properties of fractional operators. This review aims to provide a clear and accessible description of fractional viscoelastic models for a broad audience, and to demonstrate the ability of these models to deliver a unified approach for the characterisation of power-law materials. The use of a consistent framework for the analysis of rheological data would help classify the empirical behaviours of soft and biological materials, and better understand their response.

/pdf/fractional-viscoelastic-models-for-power-law-materials-4dbm3rcrqe.pdf

Fractional viscoelastic models for power-law materials

To describe the time-dependent creep behavior of viscoelastic material, fractional constitutive relation models which are represented by the fractional element networks are studied. Three sets of creep experimental data for polymer and rock are employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these fractional derivative models. The corresponding constrained problem of nonlinear optimization is solved with an interior-point algorithm to obtain best fitting parameters of these fractional derivative models. The comparison results of measured values and calculated values versus time are displayed through graphics. The results demonstrate that the fractional PoyntingThomson model is optimal in simulating the creep behavior of viscoelastic materials. And it also shows that the interior-point method is effective in the inverse problem to estimate parameters of fractional viscoelastic models.

Creep constitutive models for viscoelastic materials based on fractional derivatives

For describing the time-dependent mechanical property of rock during the creep, a new method of building creep model based on variable-order fractional derivatives is proposed. The order of the fractional derivative is allowed to be a function of the independent variable (time), rather than a constant of arbitrary order. Through the segmentation treatment, according to different creep stages of the experimental results, it is found that the improved creep model based on variable-order fractional derivatives agrees well with the experimental data. In addition, the fact is verified that variable order of fractional derivatives can be regarded as a step function, which is reasonable and reliable. In addition, through further piecewise fitting, the parameters in the model are determined on the basis of existing experimental results. All estimated results show that the theoretical model proposed in the paper properly depicts the creep properties, providing an excellent agreement with the experimental data.

Jun Wang

Papers

An improved Maxwell creep model for rock based on variable-order fractional derivatives