A posteriori error estimation for unilateral contact with matching and non-matching meshes

In this paper, we consider the unilateral contact problem between elastic b odies. We propose an error estimator based on the concept of error in the c onstitutive relation in order to evaluate the finite element approximation involving matching and non-matching meshes on the contact zone. The determi nation of the a posteriori error estimate is linked to the building of kine matically-admissible stress fields and statically-admissible stress fields. We then propose a finite element method for approximating the unilateral c ontact problem taking into account matching and non-matching meshes on the contact zone; then, we describe the construction of admissible fields. Last ly, we present optimized computations by using both the error estimates and a convenient mesh adaptivity procedure. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.