Non-convex sweeping processes in contact mechanics

Non-convex sweeping processes in contact mechanics Full article

Journal

Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications
ISSN: 1468-1218

Output data

Year: 2026, Volume: 87, Number: 104456, DOI: 10.1016/j.nonrwa.2025.104456

Tags

Non-convex sweeping process, Existence and uniqueness results, Railway modeling, Hypoplasticity

Authors

Bauer Erich ¹ , Kovtunenko Victor A. ^2,3 , Krejčí Pavel ^4,5 , Monteiro Giselle A. ⁵ , Paoli Laetitia ⁶ , Petrov Adrien ⁶

Affiliations

1	Graz University of Technology
2	Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics
3	University of Graz
4	Czech Technical University in Prague
5	Institute of Mathematics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
6	INSA Lyon

We propose a model for irreversible dynamics of the rail foundation under the effects of railtraffic, taking into account the granular structure of the ballast subject to changing void ratio and to mechanical degradation. The rail is modeled as an Euler–Bernoulli beam with distributed forcing terms representing the moving traffic load as well as the interaction with the foundation. This interaction is described by an implicit variational inequality with non-convex constraint depending in turn on the solution of the underlying PDE. The problem is reduced to a fixed point problem in a suitable Banach space, and its unique solvability is proved using the contraction principle.

Bauer E. , Kovtunenko V.A. , Krejčí P. , Monteiro G.A. , Paoli L. , Petrov A.
Non-convex sweeping processes in contact mechanics
Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications. 2026. V.87. N104456. DOI: 10.1016/j.nonrwa.2025.104456 WOS Scopus РИНЦ OpenAlex

Submitted:	Feb 4, 2025
Accepted:	Jun 24, 2025
Published online:	Jul 15, 2025

Web of science:	WOS:001533596400001
Scopus:	2-s2.0-105010559458
Elibrary:	82858600
OpenAlex:	W4412449638

DB	Citing
Scopus	1