General existence theorems for unilateral problems in continuum mechanics

The problem of minimizing a possibly non-convex and non-coercive functional is studied. Either necessary or sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions are given, involving a generalized recession functional, whose properties are discussed thoroughly. The abstract results are applied to find existence of equilibrium configurations of a deformable body subject to a system of applied forces and partially constrained to lie inside a possibly unbounded region.

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