Numerical analysis of an evolutionary variational–hemivariational inequality with application in contact mechanics

Variational–hemivariational inequalities are useful in applications in science and engineering. This paper is devoted to numerical analysis for an evolutionary variational–hemivariational inequality. We introduce a fully discrete scheme for the inequality, using a finite element approach for the spatial approximation and a backward finite difference to approximate the time derivative. We present a Cea type inequality which is the starting point for error estimation. Then we apply the results in the numerical solution of a problem arising in contact mechanics, and derive an optimal order error estimate when the linear elements are used. Finally, we report numerical simulation results on solving a model contact problem, and provide numerical evidence on the theoretically predicted optimal order error estimate.