A linear finite element approach to the solution of the variational inequalities arising in contact problems of structural dynamics

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The present paper deals with the theoretical and numerical treatment of dynamic unilateral problems. The governing equations are formulated as an equivalent variational inequality expressing D' Alembert's principle in its inequality form. The discretization with respect to time and space leads to a static nonlinear programming problem which is solved by an appropriate algorithm. Some properties of dynamic unilateral problems are outlined and the influence of several parameters on the solution is investigated by means of numerical examples.