Section: Application Domains

Nonsmooth mechanical systems

This constitutes a major topic of the team. Walking robots, flexible beams that model hair dynamics, circuit breakers, granular materials, structures like 2D or 3D blocks on moving grounds, are important examples of mechanical systems that involve unilateral contact with friction. Their analysis, control, simulation, modelling, require specific tools from convex or nonsmooth analysis, complementarity theory, variational inequalities theory, and impact mechanics.