Variational Methods for Glacier Mechanics Problems

A Survey of Direct Methods for Solving Variational Problems

This study presents a comparative survey of direct methods for solving Variational Problems. Thisproblems can be used to solve various differential equations in physics and chemistry like RateEquation for a chemical reaction. There are procedures that any type of a differential equation isconvertible to a variational problem. Therefore finding the solution of a differential equation isequivalen...

Iterative Methods for Equilibrium Problems, Variational Inequalities and Fixed Points

Variational Methods for Nonsmooth Mechanics

In this thesis we investigate nonsmooth classical and continuum mechanics and its discretizations by means of variational numerical and geometric methods. The theory of smooth Lagrangian mechanics is extended to a nonsmooth context appropriate for collisions and it is shown in what sense the system is symplectic and satisfies a Noether-style momentum conservation theorem. Next, we develop the f...

Variational Problems in Fracture Mechanics

We present some recent existence results for the variational model of crack growth in brittle materials proposed by Francfort and Marigo in 1998. These results, obtained in collaboration with Francfort and Toader, cover the case of arbitrary space dimension with a general quasiconvex bulk energy and with prescribed boundary deformations and applied loads.

Variational methods for glacier flow over plastic till

We investigate the mechanics of ice streams and glaciers flowing over a bed consisting of Coulomb-plastic subglacial sediment, or more generally, of channel flows with Coulomb or ‘solid’ friction laws at the boundary. Sliding is assumed to occur if shear stress at the glacier bed attains a prescribed, locally defined yield stress, while no sliding is assumed possible below that yield stress. Im...