An adaptive finite element method for simulating surface tension with the gradient theory of fluid interfaces

The gradient theory for the surface tension of simple fluids and mixtures is rigorously analyzed based on mathematical theory. The finite element approximation of surface tension is developed and analyzed, and moreover, an adaptive finite element method based on a physical‐based estimator is proposed and it can be coupled efficiently with Newton’s method as well. The numerical tests are carried out both to verify the proposed theory and to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.