The method of lower and upper solutions for fourth order singular \(m\)-point boundary value problems (Q2506412)

The paper considers the boundary value problem \[ \begin{aligned} x^{(4)}=f(t,x,-x''),\quad t\in {]0,1[}, \\ x(0)=\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}\alpha_ix(\eta_i),\quad x(1)=0, \\ x''(0)=\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}\beta_ix''(\eta_i),\quad x''(1)=0,\end{aligned} \] where \(0<\eta_1<\ldots<\eta_{m-2}<1\), together with assumptions that allow singularities both at the origin \(x=0\), \(x''=0\) and at the end points \(t=0\), \(t=1\). The authors develop then an existence result using lower and upper solutions \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) which are such that \[ 0<\alpha(t)\leq\beta(t), \,\, 0<-\alpha''(t)\leq-\beta''(t),\quad \text{ on } ]0,1[, \] and satisfy the boundary conditions at the end point \(x=1\). The proof is based on Schauder's theorem. The main results of the paper give explicit conditions on \(f\) which are necessary and sufficient to the obtain the existence of solutions. A model example is given.