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arXiv · 2610.25115

Sharp Pointwise Error Estimates of Finite Element Methods for the Biharmonic Equation

Buyang Li·Zhenglei Li·Qigang Liang·Xuejun Xu
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Abstract

We prove sharp pointwise error estimates for finite element approximations of the clamped biharmonic equation on convex polygonal domains. For $C^1$-conforming elements, we establish $W^{2,p}$-stability for all $2\le p\le \infty$, together with best-approximation type estimates in $W^{1,\infty}$ and $L^\infty$. For the nonconforming Morley element, we derive optimal estimates in $W^{2,p}$, $W^{1,\infty}$, and $L^\infty$; in particular, the $L^\infty$-error is of order $O(h^2)$ without an additional logarithmic factor. The analysis is based on three ingredients: local energy estimates for conforming and nonconforming plate elements, a removal of the local $L^2$-error term in these estimates, and Hölder estimates for derivatives of the Green's function. These tools are combined with a dyadic decomposition argument for regularized Green's functions. The results remove logarithmic losses present in earlier pointwise estimates for fourth-order problems and yield sharp rates for classical plate elements such as the Argyris, Bogner--Fox--Schmit (BFS), Hsieh--Clough--Tocher (HCT), and Morley elements.

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Buyang Li, Zhenglei Li, Qigang Liang, Xuejun Xu. 2026-10-18. Sharp Pointwise Error Estimates of Finite Element Methods for the Biharmonic Equation. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.25115

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