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For constant injected power $\dot{E}$ and ambient mass density ${\rho }_1$, dimensional analysis gives $R=\alpha (\dot{E}/{\rho }_1{)}^{1/5}{t}^{3/5}$. In a similarity solution, set $\eta =r/R$, $\rho ={\rho }_{1}f(\eta )$, $p={\rho }_1{\dot{R}}^{2}g(\eta )$ and $u=\dot{R}h(\eta )$. The strong-shock values on the inner side of $\eta =1$ are $f=(\gamma +1)/(\gamma -1)$ and $g=h=2/(\gamma +1)$.

The Barenblatt solution is a mass-preserving similarity solution of the porous medium equation. For $u_t=\beta (u{u}_x{)}_x$ in one dimension it has the form

For a one-sided draining gravity current with injected volume per unit width $V_0(t/\tau {)}^3$, defineThe similarity solution satisfieswhere $K=k[g^3{\tau }^3/({\nu }^3{V}_0){]}^{2/5}$. The inlet condition is $-H(0{)}^3{H}^{\prime }(0)=9$, the integral of $H+\varphi L$ is one, and both depths vanish at the advancing front. The endpoint ${\xi }_N$ gives $x_N={\xi }_{N}D{t}^2$ and depends on $K$ and $\varphi$.

The downstream edge of a continuously fed porous gravity current with background flow has a transition width proportional to $\sqrt{a{h}_{\mathrm{int}}t}$ around drift position $ut$. Its similarity solution satisfies $(FF\prime )\prime +\eta F\prime /2=0$, $F(-\infty )=1$, and $F({\eta }_N)=0$. A finite front has $F\sim ({\eta }_N/2)({\eta }_N-\eta )$. A clipped linear ramp is a useful mass-preserving approximation, but not an exact solution of this nonlinear transition equation.

The outer similarity solution approaches a plate edge as $h/h_0\sim [(4C/5)(1-x/L){]}^{1/4}$, where $C=B(4/5,1/2)$. Its slope becomes order one atThis region lies outside lubrication theory because its vertical and horizontal scales are comparable. The outer zero-thickness boundary condition is consistent at leading order since the matching height is $O(\ell )\ll h_0$, while the actual edge flow requires an inner solution. A finite outward flux survives even though the outer thickness vanishes, because the slope diverges.

A localized amount $M=\int Cdx$ of insoluble surfactant spreads over a planar film of depth scale $h_0$. Neglect gravity, capillarity and diffusion. Then $C\sim M/\ell$ and Marangoni stress drives $u_s\sim AM{h}_0/(\mu {\ell }^2)$, giving $\ell \sim (AM{h}_{0}t/\mu {)}^{1/3}$. The thin-film equations with insoluble surfactant admit a similarity solution in which the film height and concentration depend on $x/\ell$, conserving total surfactant and fluid volume relative to the undisturbed layer.

Consider a nonlinear diffusion equation with uniform supply, $\varphi h_t=D_m(h^m{h}_x{)}_x+R$, on $x>0$, with an absorbing boundary $h(0,t)=0$ and initially $h=0$. Far from the boundary, $h=Rt/\varphi$. Balancing the time derivative, supply, and diffusion givesThe similarity solution satisfiesThe outward boundary volume flux per unit width is $Q=R\ell c_m$, where $c_m={\lim }_{\eta \downarrow 0}{F}^m{F}^{\prime }$. Integrating the equation givesThus the growing region of depleted storage fixes the discharge prefactor, and $Q\propto t^{(m+1)/2}$.

On $z>0$, consider $p_t+a{p}_z=D(z{p}_z{)}_z$ with $a,D>0$, zero scalar flux $ap-Dz{p}_z$ at the endpoints for $t>0$, and unit initial impulse at the origin. Put $r=a/D$ and $\eta =z/(Dt)$. The normalized similarity solution isThe ansatz $p=(Dt{)}^{-1}f(\eta )$ gives $[\eta f^{\prime }+(\eta -r)f{]}^{\prime }=0$. Endpoint decay sets this integrated constant to zero and hence $f\propto {\eta }^r{e}^{-\eta }$; the gamma function normalizes its integral to one. Its scale is $Dt$, so it converges weakly to a unit impulse as $t\downarrow 0$. Its gamma distribution shape is $1+r$, its maximum occurs at $z=at$, and its expected value is $(a+D)t$. For width proportional to $z$, the associated horizontally averaged plume concentration is proportional to $z^{r-1}{e}^{-z/(Dt)}$: its interior maximum is $(a-D)t$ when $a>D$, its supremum occurs at the origin when $a=D$, and it is singular there when $0<a<D$. The physical finite source regularizes this ideal-origin behaviour.

When the smoothing width exceeds the capillary length, gravity dominates capillarity. Balancing hydrostatic flux $\rho g{h}_0^4/(\mu \Delta )$ against the Marangoni stress flux gives $\Delta \sim \rho g{h}_0^2{x}_N^2/(AM)\propto t^{2/3}$. The condition is ${\Delta }^2\gg {\gamma }_0/(\rho g)$ in physical units. The smoothing region catches up with the spreading pool at $x_N\sim AM/(\rho g{h}_0^2)$ and $t\sim \mu (AM{)}^2/[(\rho g{)}^3{h}_0^7]$, after which the sharp-front outer similarity solution ceases to apply.

Dividing the mass flux, momentum flux, and density-weighted buoyancy flux by ambient mass density gives the kinematic fluxes $q=\pi b^{2}V$, $m=\pi b^2{V}^2$, and $f=\pi b^{2}Vg({\rho }_0-\rho )/{\rho }_0$. This convention makes dimensional similarity solutions independent of the arbitrary ambient density unit.

For symmetric finite-mass Marangoni spreading on a liquid film, the leading outer profiles are $h=2h_0|x|/x_N$ and $C=(M/x_N)(1-|x|/x_N)$ inside $|x|<x_N$, where $x_N=(6AM{h}_{0}t/\mu {)}^{1/3}$. Outside, $h=h_0$ and $C=0$. The similarity solution follows from $H{\Gamma }^{\prime }=-\eta /3$, $\eta H^{\prime }=H$, $2\int \Gamma d\eta =1$ and $\int (H-1)d\eta =0$. The film reaches height $2h_0$ immediately behind the front, leaving an outer height jump that gravity or surface tension must smooth. These are ideal leading outer profiles, not a description of the microscopic central dry region or the smoothed edge.