Optimal control of a variational inequality with applications to structural analysis. I: Optimal design of a beam with unilateral supports (Q759554)

This paper considers a class of optimization problems, where the state problem is given in the form of a variational inequality with coefficients as control variables. The existence theorem is proved. The result is then applied to the optimal design of an elastic or elasto- plastic beam with a unilateral support at the end of the beam. Finite element approximations are also proposed and their convergence to a solution of the continuous problem in case of an elastic beam is studied.