Null boundary controllability for a fourth order semilinear equation (Q2493630)

An initial boundary value problem for a one-dimensional fourth order semilinear equation is considered. The null boundary controllability problem is analyzed under the assumption that the controls are lumped at one of the ends of the phase variable definition segment. In the first part of the paper, the authors give the detailed restatement of the nonlinear Cauchy-Kovalevskaya Theorem, which is used to solve the Cauchy problem for the considered equation and to estimate the interval of existence. In the final part, it is proved that if the initial data is continuous and sufficiently small then the fourth order semilinear equation is controllable.