Numerical algorithms for the simulation of finite plasticity with microstructures

Abstract

This article reports on recent developments in the analysis of finite element methods for nonlinear PDEs with enforced microstructures. The first part studies the convergence of an adaptive finite element scheme for the two-well problem in elasticity. The analysis is based on the relaxation of the classical model energy by its quasiconvex envelope. The second part aims at the computation of guaranteed lower energy bounds for the two-well problem with nonconforming finite element methods that involve a stabilization for the discrete linear Green strain tensor. The third part of the paper investigates an adaptive discontinuous Galerkin method for a degenerate convex problem from topology optimization and establishes some equivalence to nonconforming finite element schemes.