Lagrange multipliers in intrinsic elasticity

In an intrinsic approach to three-dimensional linearized elasticity, the unknown is the linearized strain tensor field (or equivalently the stress tensor field by means of the constitutive equation), instead of the displacement vector field in the classical approach. We consider here the pure traction problem and the pure displacement problem and we show that, in each case, the intrinsic approach leads to a quadratic minimization problem constrained by Donati-like relations (the form of which depends on the type of boundary conditions considered). Using the Babuka-Brezzi inf-sup condition, we then show that, in each case, the minimizer of the constrained minimization problem found in an intrinsic approach is the first argument of the saddle-point of an ad hoc Lagrangian, so that the second argument of this saddle-point is the Lagrange multiplier associated with the corresponding constraints. Such results have potential applications to the numerical analysis and simulation of the intrinsic approach to three-dimensional linearized elasticity. © 2011 World Scientific Publishing Company.