Optimal design via variational principles: The one-dimensional case (Q5932263)

In the one-dimensional case, the authors study some optimal control problems like optimal design or structural optimization problems. In order to avoid the non-local character of the state equation, they recast the problems in a purely variational format, and explore how far one can go in proving existence results or analyzing non-existence situations. The optimal control problem considered is: find \((u,y)\) such that \[ u\in\{v\in L^\infty(0,1) : v(x)\in K\text{ for a.e. }x\in(0,1)\}, \] \[ -(G(x,u(x),y(x),y'(x)))'=0\text{ in }(0,1),\;y(0)=y_0,\;y(1)=y_1, \] \[ \int_0^1V(x,u(x),y(x),y'(x))dx\leq\gamma \] which minimizes the cost \[ I(u,y)=\int_0^1F(x,u(x),y(x),y'(x))dx, \] where \(K\subseteq{\mathbb R}^n\), \(G\), \(V\) and \(F\) are Carathéodory functions, and \(y_0\), \(y_1\) and \(\gamma\) are given. Under suitable assumptions on the data, the authors prove an existence result for the above problem. Several particular examples are also investigated where remarks on the non-existence are included.