An Elastic Frictional Contact Problem with Unilateral Constraint

We consider a mathematical model which describes the equilibrium of an elastic body in contact with two obstacles. We derive its weak formulation which is in a form of an elliptic quasi-variational inequality for the displacement field. Then, under a smallness assumption, we establish the existence of a unique weak solution to the problem. We also study the dependence of the solution with respect to the data and prove a convergence result. Finally, we consider an optimization problem associated with the contact model for which we prove the existence of a minimizer and a convergence result, as well.     

History-dependent subdifferential inclusions and hemivariational inequalities in contact mechanics

We consider a class of subdifferential inclusions involving a history-dependent term for which we provide an existence and uniqueness result. The proof is based on arguments on pseudomonotone operators and fixed point. Then we specialize this result in the study of a class of history-dependent hemivariational inequalities. Such kind of problems arises in a large number of mathematical models which describe quasistatic processes of contact between a deformable body and an obstacle, the so-called foundation. To provide an example we consider a viscoelastic problem in which the frictional contact is modeled with subdifferential boundary conditions. We prove that this problem leads to a history-dependent hemivariational inequality in which the unknown is the velocity field. Then we apply our abstract result in order to prove the unique weak solvability of the corresponding contact problem.     

The Navier–Stokes problem modified by an absorption term

It is well known that for the classical Navier–Stokes problem the best one can obtain is some decays in time of power type. With this in mind, we consider in this work, the classical Navier–Stokes problem modified by introducing, in the momentum equation, the absorption term |u|^σ?2 u, where σ > 1. For the obtained problem, we prove the existence of weak solutions for any dimension N ≥ 2 and its uniqueness for N = 2. Then we prove that, for zero body forces, the weak solutions extinct in a finite time if 1 < σ < 2 and exponentially decay in time if σ = 2. In the special case of a suitable force field which vanishes at some instant, we prove that the weak solutions extinct at the same instant provided 1 < σ < 2. We also prove that for non-zero body forces decaying at a power-time rate, the solutions decay at analogous power-time rates if σ > 2. Finally, we prove that for a general non-zero body force, the weak solutions exponentially decay in time for any σ > 1.     

Global existence for a contact problem with adhesion

In this paper, we analyze a contact problem with irreversible adhesion between a viscoelastic body and a rigid support. On the basis of Frémond's theory, we detail the derivation of the model and of the resulting partial differential equation system. Hence, we prove the existence of global in time solutions (to a suitable variational formulation) of the related Cauchy problem by means of an approximation procedure, combined with monotonicity and compactness tools, and with a prolongation argument. In fact the approximate problem (for which we prove a local well-posedness result) models a contact phenomenon in which the occurrence of repulsive dynamics is allowed for. We also show local uniqueness of the solutions, and a continuous dependence result under some additional assumptions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Method of integral equations in the scalar problem of diffraction on a system consisting of a “soft” and a “hard” screen and an inhomogeneous body

We consider the scalar problem on the diffraction of a plane wave on a system of two screens with boundary conditions of the first and the second kind and a solid inhomogeneous body in the semiclassical setting. The original boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation is reduced to a system of singular integral equations over the body domain and the screen surfaces. We prove the equivalence of the integral and differential statements of the problem, the solvability of the system of integral equations in Sobolev spaces, and the smoothness of its solutions. To solve the integral equations approximately, we use the Bubnov-Galerkin method; we introduce basis functions on the body and the screens and prove the consistency and convergence of the numerical method.     

Quasistatic Frictional Problems for Elastic and Viscoelastic Materials

We consider two quasistatic problems which describe the frictional contact between a deformable body and an obstacle, the so-called foundation. In the first problem the body is assumed to have a viscoelastic behavior, while in the other it is assumed to be elastic. The frictional contact is modeled by a general velocity dependent dissipation functional. We derive weak formulations for the models and prove existence and uniqueness results. The proofs are based on the theory of evolution variational inequalities and fixed-point arguments. We also prove that the solution of the viscoelastic problem converges to the solution of the corresponding elastic problem, as the viscosity tensor converges to zero. Finally, we describe a number of concrete contact and friction conditions to which our results apply.     

Carousels,Zindler curves and the floating body problem

A carousel is a dynamical system that describes the movement of an equilateral linkage in which the midpoint of each rod travels parallel to it. They are closely related to the floating body problem. We prove, using the work of Auerbach, that any figure that floats in equilibrium in every position is drawn by a carousel. Of special interest are such figures with rational perimetral density of the floating chords, which are then drawn by carousels. In particular, we prove that for some perimetral densities the only such figure is the circle, as the problem suggests.     

Analysis and control of stationary inclusions in contact mechanics

We start with a mathematical model which describes the frictionless contact of an elastic body with an obstacle and prove that it leads to a stationary inclusion for the strain field. Then, inspired by this contact model, we consider a general stationary inclusion in a real Hilbert space, governed by three parameters. We prove the unique solvability of the inclusion as well as the continuous dependence of its solution with respect to the parameters. We use these results in the study of an associated optimal control problem for which we prove existence and convergence results. The proofs are based on arguments of monotonicity, compactness, convex analysis and lower semicontinuity. Then, we apply these abstract results to the mathematical model of contact and provide the corresponding mechanical interpretations.     

A finite element method for approximating electromagnetic scattering from a conducting object

We provide an error analysis of a fully discrete finite element – Fourier series method for approximating Maxwell's equations. The problem is to approximate the electromagnetic field scattered by a bounded, inhomogeneous and anisotropic body. The method is to truncate the domain of the calculation using a series solution of the field away from this domain. We first prove a decomposition for the Poincaré-Steklov operator on this boundary into an isomorphism and a compact perturbation. This is proved using a novel argument in which the scattering problem is viewed as a perturbation of the free space problem. Using this decomposition, and edge elements to discretize the interior problem, we prove an optimal error estimate for the overall problem.     

Optimal control of a two-dimensional contact problem

We consider a frictionless contact problem with unilateral constraints for a 2D bar. We describe the problem, then we derive its weak formulation, which is in the form of an elliptic variational inequality of the first kind. Next, we establish the existence of a unique weak solution to the problem and prove its continuous dependence with respect to the applied tractions and constraints. We proceed with the study of an associated control problem for which we prove the existence of an optimal pair. Finally, we consider a perturbed optimal control problem for which we prove a convergence result.     

Existence of stationary solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations in the presence of a wall

We consider the problem of a body moving within an incompressible fluid at constant speed parallel to a wall, in an otherwise unbounded domain. This situation is modeled by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in an exterior domain in a half space, with appropriate boundary conditions on the wall, the body, and at infinity. Here, we prove existence of stationary solutions for this problem for the simplified situation where the body is replaced by a source term of compact support.     

Existence of stationary solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations in two dimensions in the presence of a wall

We consider the problem of a body moving within an incompressible fluid at constant speed parallel to a wall, in an otherwise unbounded domain. This situation is modeled by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in an exterior domain in a half space, with appropriate boundary conditions on the wall, the body, and at infinity. Here we prove existence of stationary solutions for this problem for the simplified situation where the body is replaced by a source term of compact support.     

On the slow motion of a self-propelled rigid body in a viscous incompressible fluid

In this paper we study the Stokes approximation of the self-propelled motion of a rigid body in a viscous liquid that fills all the three-dimensional space exterior to the body. We prove the existence and uniqueness of strong solution to the coupled systems of equations describing the motion of the system body-liquid, for any time and any regular distribution of velocity on the boundary of the body. For the corresponding stationary problem we derive L^p-estimates for the solution in terms of the data. Finally, we prove that every steady solution is attainable as the limit, when t→∞, of an unsteady self-propelled solution which starts from rest.     

Formulation variationnelle pour le calcul de la diffraction d'une onde acoustique par une surface rigide

This work is a continuation of [1]. We give a space-time variational formula to the problem of the scattered acoutic wave by a hard body, using the double layer retarded potential technique. New schemes are constructed from this variationnal formula, for which we prove the stability and errors estimates.     

Solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations with various types of boundary conditions

In this paper we consider the initial boundary value problem of the Navier–Stokes system with various types of boundary conditions. We study the global-in-time existence and uniqueness of a solution of this system. In particular, suppose that the problem is solvable with some given data (the initial velocity and the external body force). We prove that there exists a unique solution for data which are small perturbations of the previous ones.     

Analysis and numerical solution of a piezoelectric frictional contact problem

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between an electro-elastic–visco-plastic body and a conductive foundation. The contact is modelled with normal compliance and a version of Coulomb’s law of dry friction, in which the stiffness and the friction coefficients depend on the electric potential. We derive a variational formulation of the problem and we prove an existence and uniqueness result. The proof is based on a recent existence and uniqueness result on history-dependent quasivariational inequalities obtained in [15]. Then we introduce a fully discrete scheme for solving the problem and, under certain solution regularity assumptions, we derive an optimal order error estimate. Finally, we present some numerical results in the study of a two-dimensional test problem which describes the process of contact in a microelectromechanical switch.     

Analysis of a history-dependent frictional contact problem

We consider a mathematical model which describes the quasistatic contact between a viscoelastic body and a foundation. The material’s behaviour is modelled with a constitutive law with long memory. The contact is frictional and is modelled with normal compliance and memory term, associated to the Coulomb’s law of dry friction. We present the classical formulation of the problem, list the assumptions on the data and derive a variational formulation of the model. Then we prove the unique weak solvability of the problem. The proof is based on arguments of history-dependent variational inequalities. We also study the dependence of the weak solution with respect to the data and prove a convergence result.     

Existence of a solution for an unsteady elasticity problem in large displacement and small perturbationExistence d'une solution pour un modèle d'élasticité instationnaire en grands déplacements et petites perturbations

In this Note we present a model for an unsteady pure traction problem in large displacement and small perturbation for an elastic body in dimension 2, and we show the existence of a solution to the associated problem. The weak formulation of this nonlinear problem involves test-functions depending on the solution, which is not standard. We then study the dynamic of the translation, of the rotation, and of the perturbation associated to the deformation of the body. We prove the existence of a weak solution using a Galerkin method. To cite this article: C. Grandmont et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 521–526.     

Mixed finite element analysis of semi-coercive unilateral contact problems with given friction

A unilateral contact 2D-problem is considered provided one of two elastic bodies can shift in a given direction as a rigid body. Using Lagrange multipliers for both normal and tangential constraints on the contact interface, we introduce a saddle point problem and prove its unique solvability. We discretize the problem by a standard finite element method and prove a convergence of approximations. We propose a numerical realization on the basis of an auxiliary “ bolted” problem and the algorithm of Uzawa.     

Spectral properties of certain stiff problems in elasticity and acoustics

We consider two vibration problems containing a small parameter → 0: a) Vibration of an elastic, slightly compressible body, and b) acoustic vibration of a slightly viscous compressible barotropic fluid in a vessel. The asymptotics of eigenvalues for problem a) is studied by using a uniformly convergent expansion of the stiff type. After a re-scaling of the spectral parameter, the problem b) reduces to an analogous problem, and we prove that, as ε → 0, infinitely many eigenvalues converge to 0 (which is an eigenvalue of infinite multiplicity of the corresponding inviscid acoustic problem).