Thermoelastic contact with Barber's heat exchange condition

We consider a nonlinear parabolic problem that models the evolution of a one-dimensional thermoelastic system that may come into contact with a rigid obstacle. The mathematical problem is reduced to solving a nonlocal heat equation with a nonlinear and nonlocal boundary condition. This boundary condition contains a heat-exchange coefficient that depends on the pressure when there is contact with the obstacle and on the size of the gap when there is no contact. We model the heat-exchange coefficient as both a single-valued function and as a measurable selection from a maximal monotone graph. Both of these models represent modified versions of so-called imperfect contact conditions found in the work of Barber. We show that strong solutions exist when the coefficient is taken to be a continuously differentiable function and that weak solutions exist when the coefficient is taken to be a measurable selection from a maximal monotone graph. The proofs of these results reveal an interesting interplay between the regularity of the initial condition and the behavior of the coefficient at infinity.