On \(P_1\) nonconforming finite element aproximation for the Signorini problem (Q2228078)

This paper deals with the convergence properties of the nonconforming Crouzeix-Raviart \(P_1\) finite element approximations to the Signorini problem. The optimal convergence rate \(\mathcal{O}(h)\) is obtained by the meanvalue-oriented discretized method when the exact solution belongs to \(H^2(\Omega)\) without any additional assumptions. The conforming linear finite element method exhibits better numerical results than the nonconforming one for many problems, for example for second order elliptic problems, but not for the Signorini problem in incompressible elasticity. The numerical results show that the nonconforming Crouzeix-Raviart element behaves better than the conforming one for some variational inequalities with small parameter.