On the optimal control of some nonsmooth distributed parameter systems arising in mechanics

Variational inequalities are an important mathematical tool for modelling free boundary problems that arise in different application areas. Due to the intricate nonsmooth structure of the resulting models, their analysis and optimization is a difficult task that has drawn the attention of researchers for several decades. In this paper we focus on a class of variational inequalities, called of the second kind, with a twofold purpose. First, we aim at giving a glance at some of the most prominent applications of these types of variational inequalities in mechanics, and the related analytical and numerical difficulties. Second, we consider optimal control problems constrained by these variational inequalities and provide a thorough discussion on the existence of Lagrange multipliers and the different types of optimality systems that can be derived for the characterization of local minima. The article ends with a discussion of the main challenges and future perspectives of this important problem class.