On the coupling of regularization techniques and the boundary element method for a hemivariational inequality modelling a delamination problem

In this paper, we couple regularization techniques of nondifferentiable optimization with the h‐version of the boundary element method (h‐BEM) to solve nonsmooth variational problems arising in contact mechanics. As a model example, we consider the delamination problem. The variational formulation of this problem leads to a hemivariational inequality with a nonsmooth functional defined on the contact boundary. This problem is first regularized and then discretized by an h‐BEM. We prove convergence of the h‐BEM Galerkin solution of the regularized problem in the energy norm, provide an a priori error estimate and give a numerical examples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rolling Contact Problem with the Generalized Coulomb Friction

This paper deals with the numerical solution of the wheel - rail rolling contact problems. The unilateral dynamic contact problem between a rigid wheel and a viscoelastic rail lying on a rigid foundation is considered. The contact with the generalized Coulomb friction law occurs at a portion of the boundary of the contacting bodies. The Coulomb friction model where the friction coefficient is assumed to be Lipschitz continuous function of the sliding velocity is assumed. Moreover Archard's law of wear in the contact zone is assumed. This contact problem is governed by the evolutionary variational inequality of the second order. Finite difference and finite element methods are used to discretize this dynamic contact problem. Numerical examples are provided. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Error Estimates for the Boundary Element Approximation of a Contact Problem in Elasticity

The two-dimensional frictionless contact problem of linear isotropic elasticity in the half-space is treated as a boundary variational inequality involving the Poincare–Steklov operator and discretized by linear boundary elements. Quadratic growth of the energy near the solution is shown under weak regularity assumptions if the central axis of external forces intersects the boundary of the domain in a Lebesgue null set. Estimating the numerical range of the discrete Poincare–Steklov operator and properly modifying it, enables the application of an error estimate for semi-coercive variational inequalities. Optimal order of convergence is obtained in the underlying Sobolev space H^1/2(∂Ω)². © 1997 by B.G. Teubner Stuttgart-John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Existence of a solution for a quasistatic problem of unilateral contact with local friction

The existence result in linear elasticity obtained for the quasistatic problem of unilateral contact with regularized Coulomb friction is extented to a local friction problem. After discretizing the implicit variational inequality with respect to time, we have to solve a sequence of variational inequalities similar to the one of the static problem. If the friction coefficient is small enough, we show the existence of the incremental solution. We construct a suitable sequence of functions converging towards a quasistatic solution of the problem.     

Numerical Approximation of the Elastic-Viscoplastic Contact Problem with Non-matching Meshes

Summary.  This work deals with the approximation of a time dependent variational inequality modelling the unilateral contact problem of elastic-viscoplastic bodies in a bidimensional context. The problem is approximated in the space variable with nonconforming finite element methods which allow the handling of nonmatching meshes on the contact zone. Several error estimates are established and the corresponding numerical experiments are achieved. Received Febuary 7, 2001 / Revised version received August 14, 2002 / Published online October 29, 2002 Mathematics Subject Classification (1991): 73T05     

One- and two-level Schwarz methods for variational inequalities of the second kind and their application to frictional contact

We present and analyze subspace correction methods for the solution of variational inequalities of the second kind and apply these theoretical results to non smooth contact problems in linear elasticity with Tresca and non-local Coulomb friction. We introduce these methods in a reflexive Banach space, prove that they are globally convergent and give error estimates. In the context of finite element discretizations, where our methods turn out to be one- and two-level Schwarz methods, we specify their convergence rate and its dependence on the discretization parameters and conclude that our methods converge optimally. Transferring this results to frictional contact problems, we thus can overcome the mesh dependence of some fixed-point schemes which are commonly employed for contact problems with Coulomb friction.     

Steady solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations with threshold slip boundary conditions

We establish the wellposedness of the time‐independent Navier–Stokes equations with threshold slip boundary conditions in bounded domains. The boundary condition is a generalization of Navier's slip condition and a restricted Coulomb‐type friction condition: for wall slip to occur the magnitude of the tangential traction must exceed a prescribed threshold, independent of the normal stress, and where slip occurs the tangential traction is equal to a prescribed, possibly nonlinear, function of the slip velocity. In addition, a Dirichlet condition is imposed on a component of the boundary if the domain is rotationally symmetric. We formulate the boundary‐value problem as a variational inequality and then use the Galerkin method and fixed point arguments to prove the existence of a weak solution under suitable regularity assumptions and restrictions on the size of the data. We also prove the uniqueness of the solution and its continuous dependence on the data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regularity of solutions to a contact problem

We consider a variational inequality for the Lamé system which models an elastic body in contact with a rigid foundation. We give conditions on the domain and the contact set which allow us to prove regularity of solutions to the variational inequality. In particular, we show that the gradient of the solution is a square integrable function on the boundary.

     

A p-version finite element method for nonlinear elliptic variational inequalities in 2D

This article introduces and analyzes a p-version FEM for variational inequalities resulting from obstacle problems for some quasi-linear elliptic partial differential operators. We approximate the solution by controlling the obstacle condition in images of the Gauss–Lobatto points. We show existence and uniqueness for the discrete solution u _p from the p-version for the obstacle problem. We prove the convergence of u _p towards the solution with respect to the energy norm, and assuming some additional regularity for the solution we derive an a priori error estimate. In numerical experiments the p-version turns out to be superior to the h-version concerning the convergence rate and the number of unknowns needed to achieve a certain exactness of the approximation.     

One-sided contact problems with friction arising along the normal

We study a boundary contact problem for a micropolar homogeneous elastic hemitropic medium with regard of friction; in the considered case, friction forces do not arise in the tangential displacement but correspond to a normal displacement of the medium. We consider two cases: the coercive case (in which the elastic body has a fixed part of the boundary) and the noncoercive case (without fixed parts). By using the Steklov–Poincaré operator, we reduce this problem to an equivalent boundary variational inequality. Existence and uniqueness theorems are proved for the weak solution on the basis of properties of general variational inequalities. In the coercive case, the problem is unconditionally solvable, and the solution depends continuously on the data of the original problem. In the noncoercive case, we present closed-form necessary conditions for the existence of a solution of the contact problem. Under additional assumptions, these conditions are also sufficient for the existence of a solution.     

Well-posedness of constrained evolutionary differential variational–hemivariational inequalities with applications

A system of a first order history-dependent evolutionary variational– hemivariational inequality with unilateral constraints coupled with a nonlinear ordinary differential equation in a Banach space is studied. Based on a fixed point theorem for history dependent operators, results on the well-posedness of the system are proved. Existence, uniqueness, continuous dependence of the solution on the data, and the solution regularity are established. Two applications of dynamic problems from contact mechanics illustrate the abstract results. First application is a unilateral viscoplastic frictionless contact problem which leads to a hemivariational inequality for the velocity field, and the second one deals with a viscoelastic frictional contact problem which is described by a variational inequality.     

Analysis of a general dynamic history-dependent variational–hemivariational inequality

This paper is devoted to the study of a general dynamic variational–hemivariational inequality with history-dependent operators. These operators appear in a convex potential and in a locally Lipschitz superpotential. The existence and uniqueness of a solution to the inequality problem is explored through a result on a class of nonlinear evolutionary abstract inclusions involving a nonmonotone multivalued term described by the Clarke generalized gradient. The result presented in this paper is new and general. It can be applied to study various dynamic contact problems. As an illustrative example, we apply the theory on a dynamic frictional viscoelastic contact problem in which the contact is modeled by a nonmonotone Clarke subdifferential boundary condition and the friction is described by a version of the Coulomb law of dry friction with the friction bound depending on the total slip.     

On a boundary variational inequality of the second kind modelling a friction problem

A scalar contact problem with friction governed by the Yukawa equation is reduced to a boundary variational inequality. The presence of the non‐differentiable friction functional causes some difficulties when approximated. We present two methods to overcome this difficulty. The first one is a regularization leading to a non‐linear boundary variational equation, for which we propose an iterative procedure, whereas the second method is based on the boundary mixed variational formulation involving Lagrange multipliers. We propose Uzawa's algorithm to compute the saddle point of the corresponding boundary Lagrangian and investigate the discretization of various formulations by the boundary element Galerkin method. Convergence of the boundary element solution is proved and a convergence order is obtained. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Global stress regularity of convex and some nonconvex variational problems

We derive a global regularity theorem for stress fields which correspond to minimizers of convex and some special nonconvex variational problems with mixed boundary conditions on admissible domains. These are Lipschitz domains satisfying additional geometric conditions near those points, where the type of the boundary conditions changes. In the first part it is assumed that the energy densities defining the variational problem are convex but not necessarily strictly convex and satisfy a convexity inequality. The regularity result for this case is derived with a difference quotient technique. In the second part the regularity results are carried over from the convex case to special nonconvex variational problems taking advantage of the relation between nonconvex variational problems and the corresponding (quasi-) convexified problems. The results are applied amongst others to the variational problems for linear elasticity, the p-Laplace operator, Hencky elasto-plasticity with linear hardening and for scalar and vectorial two-well potentials (compatible case).      

Uzawa iteration method for stokes type variational inequality of the second kind

In this paper,the Uzawa iteration algorithm is applied to the Stokes problem with nonlinear slip boundary conditions whose variational formulation is the variational inequality of the second kind.Firstly, the multiplier in a convex set is introduced such that the variational inequality is equivalent to the variational identity.Moreover,the solution of the variational identity satisfies the saddle-point problem of the Lagrangian functional ?.Subsequently,the Uzawa algorithm is proposed to solve the solution of the saddle-point problem. We show the convergence of the algorithm and obtain the convergence rate.Finally,we give the numerical results to verify the feasibility of the Uzawa algorithm.     

Lagrange Multipliers and mixed formulations for some inequality constrained variational inequalities and some nonsmooth unilateral problems

Abstract

This paper addresses a class of inequality constrained variational inequalities and nonsmooth unilateral variational problems. We present mixed formulations arising from Lagrange multipliers. First we treat in a reflexive Banach space setting the canonical case of a variational inequality that has as essential ingredients a bilinear form and a non-differentiable sublinear, hence convex functional and linear inequality constraints defined by a convex cone. We extend the famous Brezzi splitting theorem that originally covers saddle point problems with equality constraints, only, to these nonsmooth problems and obtain independent Lagrange multipliers in the subdifferential of the convex functional and in the ordering cone of the inequality constraints. For illustration of the theory we provide and investigate an example of a scalar nonsmooth boundary value problem that models frictional unilateral contact problems in linear elastostatics. Finally we discuss how this approach to mixed formulations can be further extended to variational problems with nonlinear operators and equilibrium problems, and moreover, to hemivariational inequalities.     

Two-level pressure projection finite element methods for Navier-Stokes equations with nonlinear slip boundary conditions

The two-level pressure projection stabilized finite element methods for Navier-Stokes equations with nonlinear slip boundary conditions are investigated in this paper, whose variational formulation is the Navier-Stokes type variational inequality problem of the second kind. Based on the P₁-P₁ triangular element and using the pressure projection stabilized finite element method, we solve a small Navier-Stokes type variational inequality problem on the coarse mesh with mesh size H and solve a large Stokes type variational inequality problem for simple iteration or a large Oseen type variational inequality problem for Oseen iteration on the fine mesh with mesh size h. The error analysis obtained in this paper shows that if h=O(H²), the two-level stabilized methods have the same convergence orders as the usual one-level stabilized finite element methods, which is only solving a large Navier-Stokes type variational inequality problem on the fine mesh. Finally, numerical results are given to verify the theoretical analysis.     

Existence and Uniqueness to a Dynamic Bilateral Frictional Contact Problem in Viscoelasticity

In this paper we examine an evolution problem which describes the dynamic bilateral contact of a viscoelastic body and a foundation. The contact is modeled by a friction multivalued subdifferential boundary condition which incorporates the Coulomb law of friction, the SJK model and the orthotropic friction law. The main result concerns the existence and uniqueness of weak solutions to the hyperbolic variational inequality when the friction coefficient is sufficiently small. The proof is based on a surjectivity result for multivalued operators and a fixed point argument. Research supported in part by the State Committee for Scientific Research of the Republic of Poland (KBN) under Grants no. 2 P03A 003 25 and 4 T07A 027 26.     

Comparisons of Stokes/Oseen/Newton iteration methods for Navier–Stokes equations with friction boundary conditions

In this paper, we make the comparison of Stokes/Oseen/Newton finite element iteration methods for solving the numerical solutions to Navier–Stokes equations with friction boundary conditions which are of the weak form of the variational inequality problem of the second kind. The comparison of these methods is reflected by the finite element error estimates in the energy norm for velocity and L²$L^2$ norm for pressure.     

Generalized Vector Variational Inequalities

In this paper, we introduce a generalized vector variational inequality problem (GVVIP) which extends and unifies vector variational inequalities as well as classical variational inequalities in the literature. The concepts of generalized C-pseudomonotone and generalized hemicontinuous operators are introduced. Some existence results for GVVIP are obtained with the assumptions of generalized C-pseudomonotonicity and generalized hemicontinuity. These results appear to be new and interesting. New existence results of the classical variational inequality are also obtained.