01631nas a2200181   4500008004100000022001400041245007600055210006900131300001400200490000800214520106600222653001401288653001601302653001701318653002501335100001801360856007101378       2017                        eng d  a0021-999100aComputer simulations of phase field drops on super-hydrophobic surfaces0 aComputer simulations of phase field drops on superhydrophobic su  a247 - 2590 v3443 a<p>We present a novel quasi-Newton continuation procedure that efficiently solves the system of nonlinear equations arising from the discretization of a phase field model for wetting phenomena. We perform a comparative numerical analysis that shows the improved speed of convergence gained with respect to other numerical schemes. Moreover, we discuss the conditions that, on a theoretical level, guarantee the convergence of this method. At each iterative step, a suitable continuation procedure develops and passes to the nonlinear solver an accurate initial guess. Discretization performs through cell-centered finite differences. The resulting system of equations is solved on a composite grid that uses dynamic mesh refinement and multi-grid techniques. The final code achieves three-dimensional, realistic computer experiments comparable to those produced in laboratory settings. This code offers not only new insights into the phenomenology of super-hydrophobicity, but also serves as a reliable predictive tool for the study of hydrophobic surfaces.</p>10aMultigrid10aPhase field10aQuasi-Newton10aSuper-hydrophobicity1 aFedeli, Livio  uhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002199911730356X