Differential inclusions in nonsmooth mechanical problems. Shocks and dry friction (Q687612)

A particular class of differential inclusions and some of the applications are studied. Among others, the existence results for the dynamics of systems with inelastic shocks (both with or without friction) are established. Chapter 0 contains the necessary mathematical tools like functions with bounded variation, convergence of the filled-in graphs and some geometrical inequalities. In chapters 1 and 2, Moreau's sweeping process is considered. This is the differential inclusion \(\text{du}\in N_{C(t)}(u(t))\) where the right- hand side is the outward normal cone to a convex set \(C(t)\) at point \(u(t)\) of a real Hilbert space \(H\). There are considered the cases when either the moving convex set \(t\rightarrow C(t)\) has right-continuous bounded variation or it has nonempty interior instead. Chapter 3 is concerned with the problem of the dynamics of a mechanical system with a finite number of degrees of freedom, subject to a unique unilateral constraint and experiencing inelastic shocks (without friction or with Coulomb's isotropic friction). In chapter 4, there is studied a problem derived from the former ones and involving what may be called externally induced collisions. Some directions of research which can be linked to the above situation are discussed in chapter 5 (existence theory for some inclusions of second order etc.).