Numerical schemes are presented for a class of fourth order diffusion problems. These problems arise in lubrication theory for thin films of viscous fluids on surfaces. The equations being in general fourth order degenerate parabolic, additional singular terms of second order may occur to model effects of gravity, molecular interactions or thermocapillarity. Furthermore, we incorporate nonlinear surface tension terms. Finally, in the case of a thin film flow driven by a surface active agent (surfactant),...

In this work we present new numerical methods to simulate the mechanics of head-tape magnetic storage devices. The elastohydrodynamic problem is formulated in terms of a coupled system which is governed by a nonlinear compressible Reynolds equation for the air pressure over the head, and a rod model for the tape displacement. A fixed point algorithm between the solutions of the elastic and hydrodynamic problems is proposed. For the nonlinear Reynolds equation, a characteristics method and a...