An optimization algorithm for the pile driver problem

Abstract

In this paper we present the analysis of an algorithm of Uzawa type to compute solutions of the quasi variational inequality

$$\begin{gathered} (QVI)\left( {\frac{{\partial ^2 u}}{{\partial t^2 }},\upsilon - \frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}} \right) + \left( {\frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial x}},\frac{{\partial \upsilon }}{{\partial x}} - \frac{{\partial ^2 u}}{{\partial x\partial t}}} \right) + \left( {\frac{{\partial ^2 u}}{{\partial x\partial t}},\frac{{\partial \upsilon }}{{\partial x}} - \frac{{\partial ^2 u}}{{\partial x\partial t}}} \right) + \hfill \\ + \left[ {u(1,t) + \frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}(1,t)} \right]\left[ {\upsilon (1) - \frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}(1,t)} \right] + J(u;\upsilon ) - J\left( {u;\frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}} \right) \geqslant \hfill \\ \geqslant \left( {f,\upsilon - \frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}} \right) + F(t)\left[ {\upsilon (0) - \frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}(0,t)} \right],t > 0,\forall \upsilon \in H^1 (0,1), \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$

which is a model for the dynamics of a pile driven into the ground under the action of a pile hammer. In (QVI) (...) is the scalar product inL ²(0, 1) andJ(u;.) is a convex functional onH ¹(0, 1), for eachu, describing the soil-pile friction effect.