A posteriori error estimator and error control for contact problems

In this paper, we consider two error estimators for one-body contact problems. The first error estimator is defined in terms of H(div)-conforming stress approximations and equilibrated fluxes while the second is a standard edge-based residual error estimator without any modification with respect to the contact. We show reliability and efficiency for both estimators. Moreover, the error is bounded by the first estimator with a constant one plus a higher order data oscillation term plus a term arising from the contact that is shown numerically to be of higher order. The second estimator is used in a control-based AFEM refinement strategy, and the decay of the error in the energy is shown. Several numerical tests demonstrate the performance of both estimators.