Rate independent and Moreau’s processes
We address the analysis of rate independent operators which arise as solution operators of rate independent evolutionary variational inequalities originally motivated by models of elastoplasticity and hysteresis: e.g. the “play operator” of elastoplasticity (the solution operator of a variational inequality characterized by a closed set of constraints), and the Moreau's “sweeping processes”, a more general class of variational inequalities which has also found applications in economic theory, crowd motion modelling, and electric circuits. In particular we study the continuity of such solution operators with respect to different topologies, which ensures robustness of the model on the one hand, and applicability of a variety of mathematical tools for its analysis and treatment, on the other hand.