A Density Result in Two-Dimensional Linearized Elasticity,and Applications

We show that in a two-dimensional bounded open set whose complement has a finite number of connected components, the vector fields uH ¹ (Ωℝ²) are dense in the space of fields whose symmetrized gradient e(u) is in L ² (Ωℝ⁴). This allows us to show the continuity of some linearized elasticity problems with respect to variations of the set, with applications to shape optimization or the study of crack evolution. (Accepted September 18, 2002) Published online February 4, 2003 Commmunicated by V. Šverák