Neural Network Element Method for Partial Differential Equations

Abstract: In this paper, based on the combination of finite element mesh and neural network, a novel type of neural network element space and corresponding machine learning method are designed for solving partial differential equations. The application of finite element mesh makes the neural network element space satisfy the boundary value conditions directly on the complex geometric domains. The use of neural networks allows the accuracy of the approximate solution to reach the high level of neural network approximation even for the problems with singularities. We also provide the error analysis of the proposed method for the understanding. The proposed numerical method in this paper provides the way to enable neural network-based machine learning algorithms to solve a broader range of problems arising from engineering applications.