A numerical method for two-dimensional inverse heat conduction problems

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce an effective method for two-dimensional inverse heat conduction problems. Design/methodology/approach - The variational iteration method (VIM) is used to solve two-dimensional inverse heat conduction problems and restore boundary conditions in heat conduction. Findings - Numerical results compared with other methods show that the present method is remarkably effective for solving two-dimensional inverse heat conduction problems. This method is a very promoting method, which will be certainly found wide applications. Originality/value - The VIM is applied to two-dimensional inverse heat conduction problems for the first time.