A high-order nodally bound-preserving and mass-conservative method for linear fourth-order elliptic problems and its applications to nonlinear parabolic equations

Abstract: We propose a high-order finite element method for linear fourth-order elliptic problems that is both nodally bound-preserving and mass-conservative, based on a variational inequality formulation. The method admits an equivalent strictly convex minimization structure, which ensures well-posedness and enables an optimal error estimate in the $H<sup>1$-seminorm, under suitable regularity assumptions. This framework is further extended to nonlinear fourth-order parabolic problems through space--time high-order discretizations that combine variational inequalities, BDF schemes, and scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) techniques. The fully discrete schemes preserve nodal bounds and mass, and a modified energy stability result is established for the first-order temporal scheme. We also apply the same framework to nonlinear second-order parabolic problems by introducing a consistent fourth-order regularization, leading to space--time high-order schemes with the same bound-preserving and mass-conservative properties. Extensive numerical results, including challenging tests with singularities and low regularity, demonstrate the stability, efficiency, and high-order accuracy of the proposed methods.