# Python library supporting Discrete Variational Formulations and training solutions with Collocation-based Robust Variational Physics Informed Neural Networks (DVF-CRVPINN)

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.15398 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.15398/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 11 of its 33 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 16 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) for fluid mechanics: A review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.09506/) (2021)
- [hp-VPINNs: Variational Physics-Informed Neural Networks With Domain Decomposition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.05385/) (2020)
- [Variational Physics-Informed Neural Networks For Solving Partial Differential Equations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.00873/) (2019)
- [Modeling the Dynamics of PDE Systems with Physics-Constrained Deep Auto-Regressive Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.05747/) (2019)
- [Adversarial Uncertainty Quantification in Physics-Informed Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.04026/) (2018)
- [Transfer learning enhanced physics informed neural network for phase-field modeling of fracture](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.02531/) (2019)
- [Estimates on the generalization error of Physics Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) for approximating a class of inverse problems for PDEs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.01138/) (2020)
- [DPM: A Novel Training Method for Physics-Informed Neural Networks in Extrapolation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.02681/) (2020)
- [Spline-PINN: Approaching PDEs without Data using Fast, Physics-Informed Hermite-Spline CNNs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.07143/) (2021)
- [Physics-Informed Neural Networks for Quantum Eigenvalue Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00451/) (2022)
- [Collocation-based Robust Variational Physics-Informed Neural Networks (CRVPINN)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.02300/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We explore the possibility of solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) using discrete weak formulations. We propose a programming environment for defining a discrete computational domain, introducing discrete functions defined over a set of points, constructing discrete inner products, and introducing discrete weak formulations employing Kronecker delta test functions. Building on this setup, we propose a discrete neural network representation, training the solution function defined over a discrete set of points and employing discrete finite difference derivatives in the automatic differentiation procedures. As a challenging computational model example, we focus on Stokes equations in two-dimensions, defined over a discrete set of points. We train the solution using the discrete weak residual and the Adamax algorithm with discrete automatic differentiation of the discrete gradients. Despite introducing the python environment, we also provide a rigorous mathematical formulation based on discrete weak formulations, proving the well-posedness and robustness of the loss function. The solution of the discrete weak formulations is based on neural network training employing a robust loss function that is related to the true error. In this way, we have a robust control of the numerical error during the training of the neural networks. Besides the Stokes formulation, we also explain the functionality of the proposed library using the Laplace problem formulation.