Continuity in H1-norms of surfaces in terms of the L1-norms of their fundamental forms

The main purpose of this Note is to show how a ‘nonlinear Korn's inequality on a surface’ can be established. This inequality implies in particular the following interesting per se sequential continuity property for a sequence of surfaces. Let ω be a domain in ${\mathbb{R}}^2$, let $\mathit{\theta }:\overline{\omega }\to {\mathbb{R}}^3$ be a smooth immersion, and let ${\mathit{\theta }}^k:\overline{\omega }\to {\mathbb{R}}^3$, $k?1$, be mappings with the following properties: They belong to the space ${\mathit{H}}^1(\omega )$; the vector fields normal to the surfaces ${\mathit{\theta }}^k(\omega )$, $k?1$, are well defined a.e. in ω and they also belong to the space ${\mathit{H}}^1(\omega )$; the principal radii of curvature of the surfaces ${\mathit{\theta }}^k(\omega )$ stay uniformly away from zero; and finally, the three fundamental forms of the surfaces ${\mathit{\theta }}^k(\omega )$ converge in ${\mathit{L}}^1(\omega )$ toward the three fundamental forms of the surface $\mathit{\theta }(\omega )$ as $k\to \infty$. Then, up to proper isometries of ${\mathbb{R}}^3$, the surfaces ${\mathit{\theta }}^k(\omega )$ converge in ${\mathit{H}}^1(\omega )$ toward the surface $\mathit{\theta }(\omega )$ as $k\to \infty$. To cite this article: P.G. Ciarlet et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 341 (2005).