The mathematical analysis of contact problems, with or without friction, is an area where progress depends heavily on the integration of pure and applied mathematics. This book presents the state of the art in the mathematical analysis of unilateral contact problems with friction, along with a major part of the analysis of dynamic contact problems without friction. Much of this monograph emerged from the authors' research activities over the past 10 years and deals with an approach proven fruitful in many situations. Starting from thin estimates of possible solutions, this approach is based on an approximation of the problem and the proof of a moderate partial regularity of the solution to the approximate problem. This in turn makes use of the shift (or translation) technique - an important yet often overlooked tool for contact problems and other nonlinear problems with limited regularity. The authors pay careful attention to quantification and precise results to get optimal bounds in sufficient conditions for existence theorems. Unilateral Contact Problems: Variational Methods and Existence Theorems a valuable resource for scientists involved in the analysis of contact problems and for engineers working on the numerical approximation of contact problems. Self-contained and thoroughly up to date, it presents a complete collection of the available results and techniques for the analysis of unilateral contact problems and builds the background required for further research on more complex problems in this area.

Mathematical models are the decisive tool to explain and predict phenomena in the natural and engineering sciences. With this book readers will learn to derive mathematical models which help to understand real world phenomena. At the same time a wealth of important examples for the abstract concepts treated in the curriculum of mathematics degrees are given. An essential feature of this book is that mathematical structures are used as an ordering principle and not the fields of application. Methods from linear algebra, analysis and the theory of ordinary and partial differential equations are thoroughly introduced and applied in the modeling process. Examples of applications in the fields electrical networks, chemical reaction dynamics, population dynamics, fluid dynamics, elasticity theory and crystal growth are treated comprehensively.

Das Lehrbuch bietet eine lebendige und anschauliche Einfuhrung in die mathematische Modellierung von Phanomenen aus den Natur- und Ingenieurwissenschaften. Leser lernen, mathematische Modelle zu verstehen und selbst herzuleiten und finden eine Fulle von Beispielen, u. a. aus den Bereichen chemische Reaktionskinetik, Populationsdynamik, Stroemungsdynamik, Elastizitatstheorie und Kristallwachstum. Die Methoden der Linearen Algebra, der Analysis und der Theorie der gewoehnlichen und partiellen Differentialgleichungen werden sorgfaltig eingefuhrt.