Weak solvability of antiplane frictional contact problems for elastic cylinders (Q1049427): Difference between revisions

In this very important paper the authors present a model which describes the antiplane shear of an elastic cylinder in frictional contact with a foundation: namely, find a displacement \(u: \Omega \rightarrow R\) such that \[ \begin{cases}\text{div} (\mu \nabla u)+ f_0 = 0 &\text{in } \Omega,\\ u= 0 &\text{on } \Gamma_1,\\ \mu \partial_\nu u = f_1 &\text{on } \Gamma_2,\\ -\mu \partial_\nu u \in g(u) \partial j (u) &\text{on } \Gamma_3.\end{cases}\tag{1} \] The authors consider an elastic body \(\mathcal{B}\) identified with a region in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) which occupies in a fixed and unrestored reference configuration. Further it is assumed that \(\mathcal{B}\) is a cylinder with generators parallel with the \(x_3\)-axes with a cross-section which is a regular region \(\Omega\) in the \(x_1, x_2\) plane (\(0 x_1x_2x_3\) is a Cartesian coordinate system). The cylinder is assumed to be sufficiently long (the end effects in the axial direction are negligible). The boundary \(\partial \mathcal{B} (\Gamma)\) is assumed to be composed of three sets \(\overline{\Gamma}_1\), \(\overline{\Gamma}_2\) and \(\overline{\Gamma}_3\), with mutually disjoint open sets \(\Gamma_1\), \(\Gamma_2\) and \(\Gamma_3\) and \(\partial \mathcal{B}\) is Lipschitz continuous. The variational formulation of problem (1) (to allow for the equations and conditions to be satisfied in a weaker sense): find a displacement \(u \in V\) such that \[ a(u,v)+ \int_{\Gamma_3} g(u)j^\diamond (u,v) d\Gamma \geq \langle f,v\rangle_{V^* \times V}\text{ for all }v\in V(\Omega).\tag{2} \] The main result: existence and uniqueness of a weak solution of contact problem (2). Here for the static process the material behaviour is described with a linear elastic constitutive law, and friction is modeled with a general slip-dependent subdifferential boundary condition involving the Clarke subdifferential of a functional which is not a priori assumed to be convex. Hence the variational formulation of the model is given in a form of a hemivariational inequality. This means that the presented results are valid for a larger class of frictional boundary conditions. The study of antiplane problems for elastic materials which takes into account the frictional contact expressed in terms of the subdifferential of a nonconvex function represents the main novelty of the paper. A new and nonstandard mathematical model (the relative mathematical simplicity without loss of essential physical relevance) is proposed. The precise proofs of the theorems based on arguments of hemivariational inequalities are presented. Finally examples of friction laws are given for which the authors prove existence and uniqueness results.