\(L^\infty\)-error estimates for the obstacle problem revisited (Q1697278)

For a measurable obstacle function \(\psi\), \(f\in H^{-1}(\Omega)\) and \(v\in H_0^1(\Omega)\), \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^d\) with Lipschitz boundary, the classical obstacle problem \(\int_\Omega \nabla v \cdot \nabla v \, dx-\langle f,v\rangle\rightarrow \text{min} \) s.t. \(v\geq \psi\) a.e. in \(\Omega\) is considered. Using affine finite elements on a triangulation with negativity condition of the nodal basis, assuming \(\Omega_h\subset\Omega\) for the finite element approximation of \(\Omega\), the continuity of \(\psi\), the solution \(u\) of the problem and Hölder continuity of the gradient of the approximations \(\psi_h\) of \(\psi\), one sided \(L^\infty\) a priori estimations between the solution \(u\) and the finite element solution \(u_h\) in terms of the positive and negative part of the difference of \(u\) and the Ritz projection are shown (Theorem 11). Using well-known error estimates of the \(L^{\infty}\)-norm of this difference one sided a priory error estimates for \(\|u-u_h\|\) are shown (Corollaries 13, 14). They allow in the contrary to so far known results that \(\psi_h\) can be a restriction of \(\psi\) to \(\Omega_h\) which is more general than the so far used finite element approximation of \(\psi\). Main tool is the sensitivity analysis of the solutions of the finite element problem with respect to disturbed data.