The incremental variational principle and finite element displacement approximation for the frictional contact problem of linear elasticity (Q1261419)

The paper presents an incremental variational formulation of the frictional contact problem of two thermoelastic bodies moving together. The proper variational inequality corresponds to a local formulation based on the linear elasticity equations in the non-incremental form and the incremental contact mechanics equations and takes the Hamilton principle as a basis. A question of equivalence of the formulations as well as the existence and uniqueness of the solution are considered.