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We consider an elliptic variational–hemivariational inequality P in a real reflexive Banach space, governed by a set of constraints K. Under appropriate assumptions of the data, this inequality has a unique solution u∈K. We associate inequality P to a sequence of elliptic variational–hemivariational inequalities {Pn}, governed by a set of constraints K˜⊃K, a sequence of parameters {λn}⊂R+, and a function ψ. We prove that if, for each n∈N, the element un∈K˜ represents a solution to Problem Pn, then the sequence {un} converges to u as λn→0. Based on this general result, we recover convergence results for various associated penalty methods previously obtained in the literature. These convergence results are obtained by considering particular choices of the set K˜ and the function ψ. The corresponding penalty methods can be applied in the study of various inequality problems. To provide an example, we consider a purely hemivariational inequality that describes the equilibrium of an elastic membrane in contact with an obstacle, the so-called foundation.

We consider a history-dependent variational inequality in a real Hilbert space, for which we recall an existence and uniqueness result. We associate this inequality with a gap function, together with two additional problems: a nonlinear equation and a minimization problem. Then, we prove that solving these problems is equivalent to solving the original history-dependent variational inequality. Next, we state and prove a convergence criterion, i.e., we provide necessary and sufficient conditions which guarantee the convergence of a sequence of functions to the solution of the considered inequality. Based on the equivalence above, we deduce various consequences that present some interest on their own, and, moreover, we obtain convergence results for the two additional problems considered. Finally, we apply our abstract results to the study of an inequality problem in solid mechanics. It concerns the study of a viscoelastic constitutive law with long memory and unilateral constraints, for which we deduce a convergence result and provide the corresponding mechanical interpretations.

Here, we consider a stationary inclusion in a real Hilbert space X, governed by a set of constraints K, a nonlinear operator A, and an element f∈X. Under appropriate assumptions on the data, the inclusion has a unique solution, denoted by u. We state and prove a covergence criterion, i.e., we provide necessary and sufficient conditions on a sequence {un}⊂X, which guarantee its convergence to the solution u. We then present several applications that provide the continuous dependence of the solution with respect to the data K, A and f on the one hand, and the convergence of an associate penalty problem on the other hand. We use these abstract results in the study of a frictional contact problem with elastic materials that, in a weak formulation, leads to a stationary inclusion for the deformation field. Finally, we apply the abstract penalty method in the analysis of two nonlinear elastic constitutive laws.

We consider a Cauchy problem for differential equations in a Hilbert space X. The problem is stated in a time interval I, which can be finite or infinite. We use a fixed point argument for history-dependent operators to prove the unique solvability of the problem. Then, we establish convergence criteria for both a general fixed point problem and the corresponding Cauchy problem. These criteria provide the necessary and sufficient conditions on a sequence {un}, which guarantee its convergence to the solution of the corresponding problem, in the space of both continuous and continuously differentiable functions. We then specify our results in the study of a particular differential equation governed by two nonlinear operators. Finally, we provide an application in viscoelasticity and give a mechanical interpretation of the corresponding convergence result.

Abstract We consider a fixed point problem S u = u $\mathcal {S}u=u$ where S : C ( R + ; X ) → C ( R + ; X ) ${\mathcal {S}:C(\mathbb{R}_{+};X)\to C(\mathbb{R}_{+};X)}$ is an almost history-dependent operator. First, we recall the unique solvability of the problem. Then, we introduce the concept of Tykhonov triple, provide several relevant examples, and prove the corresponding well-posedness results for the considered fixed point problem. This allows us to deduce various consequences which illustrate the stability of the solution with respect to perturbations of the operator S $\mathcal {S}$ . Our results provide mathematical tools in the analysis of a large number of history-dependent problems which arise in solid and contact mechanics. To give some examples, we consider two mathematical models which describe the equilibrium of a viscoelastic body in frictionless contact with a foundation. We state the mechanical problems, list the assumptions on the data, and derive their associated fixed point formulation. Then, we illustrate the use of our abstract results in order to deduce the continuous dependence of the solution with respect to the data and parameters. We also provide the corresponding mechanical interpretations.

Abstract We consider an abstract inclusion in a real Hilbert space, governed by an almost history-dependent operator and a time-dependent multimapping with prox-regular values. We establish the unique solvability of the inclusion under appropriate assumptions on the data. The proof is based on the arguments of monotonicity, fixed point, and prox-regularity. We then use our result in order to deduce some direct consequences, including an existence and uniqueness result for a class of sweeping processes associated with prox-regular sets. Finally, we provide an example in a finite dimensional case inspired by a rheological model in solid mechanics.

Abstract In (J. Optim. Theory Appl. 183:139–157, 2019) we introduced and studied the concept of well-posedness in the sense of Tykhonov for abstract problems formulated on metric spaces. Our aim of this current paper is to extend the results in (J. Optim. Theory Appl. 183:139–157, 2019) to a system which consists of two independent problems denoted by P and Q, coupled by a nonlinear equation. Following the terminology used in literature we refer to such a system as a split problem. We introduce the concept of well-posedness for the abstract split problem and provide its characterization in terms of metric properties for a family of approximating sets and in terms of the well-posedness for the problems P and Q, as well. Then we illustrate the applicability of our results in the study of three relevant particular cases: a split variational–hemivariational inequality, an elliptic variational inequality and a history-dependent variational inequality. We describe each split problem and clearly indicate the family of approximating sets. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions which guarantee the well-posedness of the split variational–hemivariational inequality. Moreover, under appropriate assumptions on the data, we prove the well-posedness of the split elliptic variational inequality as well as the well-posedness of the split history-dependent variational inequality. We illustrate our abstract results with various examples, part of them arising in contact mechanics.

Simulating nationwide realistic individual movements with a detailed geographical structure can help optimise public health policies. However, existing tools have limited resolution or can only account for a limited number of agents. We introduce Epidemap, a new framework that can capture the daily movement of more than 60 million people in a country at a building-level resolution in a realistic and computationally efficient way. By applying it to the case of an infectious disease spreading in France, we uncover hitherto neglected effects, such as the emergence of two distinct peaks in the daily number of cases or the importance of local density in the timing of arrival of the epidemic. Finally, we show that the importance of super-spreading events strongly varies over time.

We consider a class of elliptic variational-hemivariational inequalities in an abstract Banach space for which we introduce the concept of well-posedness in the sense of Tykhonov. We characterize the well-posedness in terms of metric properties of a family of associated sets. Our results, which provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the well-posedness of inequalities under consideration, are valid under mild assumptions on the data. Their proofs are based on arguments of monotonicity, lower semicontinuity and properties of the Clarke directional derivative. For well-posed inequalities we also prove a continuous dependence result of the solution with respect to the data. We illustrate our abstract results in the study of one-dimensional examples, then we focus on some relevant particular cases, including variational-hemivariational inequalities with strongly monotone operators. Finally, we consider a model variational-hemivariational inequality which arises in Contact Mechanics for which we discuss its well-posedness and provide the corresponding mechanical interpretations.

Consider an abstract Problem P in a metric space (X; d) assumed to have a unique solution u. The aim of this paper is to compare two convergence results u'n → u and u''n → u, both in X, and to construct a relevant example of convergence result un → u such that the two convergences above represent particular cases of this third convergence. To this end, we use the concept of Tykhonov triple. We illustrate the use of this new and nonstandard mathematical tool in the particular case of hemivariational inequalities in reflexive Banach space. This allows us to obtain and to compare various convergence results for such inequalities. We also specify these convergences in the study of a mathematical model, which describes the contact of an elastic body with a foundation and provide the corresponding mechanical interpretations.

We consider a variational–hemivariational inequality in a real Hilbert space, which depends on two parameters. We prove that the inequality is governed by a maximal monotone operator, then we deduce various existence, uniqueness and equivalence results. The proofs are based on the theory of maximal monotone operators, fixed point arguments and the properties of the subdifferential, both in the sense of Clarke and in the sense of convex analysis. These results lay the background in the study of various classes of inequalities. We use them to prove existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence results for the solution of elliptic and history-dependent variational–hemivariational inequalities. We also present some iterative methods in solving these inequalities, together with various convergence results.

This article constructs and analyzes a mathematical model that describes the quasistatic evolution of a 2D elastic bar that may come in frictional contact with a deformable foundation. The model and the underlying mechanical assumptions are described in detail and so are the assumptions on the problem data. The variational formulation of the problem is derived and, since friction is taken into account, it is in the form of an evolutionary variational inequality for the displacement field. Existence of solutions for the problem is established by using arguments of evolutionary variational inequalities.

We consider a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between a viscoelastic body and a foundation. The contact is modelled with normal compliance associated to a rate-and-state version of Coulomb's law of dry friction. We start by presenting a description of the friction law, together with some examples used in geophysics. Then we state the classical formulation of the problem, list the assumptions on the data and derive a variational formulation of the model. It is in a form of a differential variational inequality in which the unknowns are the displacement field and the surface state variable. Next, we prove the unique weak solvability of the problem. The proof is based on arguments of history-dependent variational inequalities and nonlinear implicit integral equations in Banach spaces.

This work presents a unified approach to the analysis of contact problems with various interface laws that model the processes involved in contact between a deformable body and a rigid or reactive foundation. These laws are then used in the formulation of a general static frictional contact problem with unilateral constraints for elastic materials, which is governed by three parameters. A weak formulation of the problem is derived, which is in the form of an elliptic variational inequality, and the Tykhonov well-posedness of the problem is established, under appropriate assumptions on the data and parameters, with respect to a special Tykhonov triple. The proof is based on arguments on coercivity, compactness, and lower-semicontinuity. This abstract result leads to different convergence results, which establish the continuous dependence of the weak solution on the data and the parameters. Moreover, these results elucidate the links among the weak solutions of the different models. Finally, the corresponding mechanical interpretations of the conditions and the results are provided. The novelty in this work is the application of the Tykhonov well-posedness concept, which allows a unified and elegant framework for this class of static contact problems.

We consider a nonlinear two-dimensional boundary value problem which models the frictional contact of a bar with a rigid obstacle. The weak formulation of the problem is in the form of an elliptic variational inequality of the second kind. We establish the existence of a unique weak solution to the problem, then we introduce a regularized version of the variational inequality for which we prove existence, uniqueness and convergence results. We proceed with an optimal control problem for which we prove the existence of an optimal pair. Finally, we consider the corresponding optimal control problem associated to the regularized variational inequality and prove a convergence result.