Existence and extremal solutions of parabolic variational-hemivariational inequalities (Q372814)

The author studies a general quasilinear parabolic variational-hemivariational inequality with time-dependent constraints and driven by a second order quasilinear differential operator of Leray-Lions type. A model for the given statement is the obstacle problem. Many parabolic initial boundary value problems in the form of equations or inequalities are incorporated in the present study. The main results of the paper establish the existence of extremal solutions within an ordered interval of sub-supersolutions, comparison principles and equivalence of the stated problem with an associated multi-valued parabolic variational inequality. The proofs rely on the method of sub-supersolution, the theory of pseudomonotone operators and a penalty approach.