Application of the finite-element method to the diffusion and reaction of chemical species in multilayered polymeric bodies

AbstractApplication of the finite-element method (FEM) to chemical species diffusion and reaction in polymers by Fickian mass transport is described. The method is developed by analogy to heat conduction and is extended to include multiple, reactive chemical species dissolved in multilayered polymeric materials. Because of the analogy to conductive heat transfer, existing FEM thermal codes can be readily adapted to solve chemical diffusion problems. The method described is limited to Fickian diffusion at a constant material temperature