Partial symmetry and existence of least energy solutions to some nonlinear elliptic equations on Riemannian models

We consider least energy solutions to the nonlinear equation $-\Delta_g u=f(r,u)$ posed on a class of Riemannian models $(M,g)$ of dimension $n\ge 2$ which include the classical hyperbolic space $\mathbb H^n$ as well as manifolds with unbounded sectional geometry. Partial symmetry and existence of least energy solutions is proved for quite general nonlinearities $f(r,u)$, where $r$ denotes the geodesic distance from the pole of $M$

Structural instability of nonlinear plates modelling suspension bridges: mathematical answers to some long-standing questions

We model the roadway of a suspension bridge as a thin rectangular plate and we study in detail its oscillating modes. The plate is assumed to be hinged on its short edges and free on its long edges. Two different kinds of oscillating modes are found: longitudinal modes and torsional modes. Then we analyze a fourth order hyperbolic equation describing the dynamics of the bridge. In order to emphasize the structural behavior we consider an isolated equation with no forcing and damping. Due to the nonlinear behavior of the cables and hangers, a structural instability appears. With a finite dimensional approximation we prove that the system remains stable at low energies while numerical results show that for larger energies the system becomes unstable. We analyze the energy thresholds of instability and we show that the model allows to give answers to several questions left open by the Tacoma collapse in 1940.Comment: 33 page

On some strong Poincaré inequalities on Riemannian models and their improvements

We prove second and fourth order improved Poincaré type inequalities on the hyperbolic space involving Hardy-type remainder terms. Since theirs l.h.s. only involve the radial part of the gradient or of the laplacian, they can be seen as stronger versions of the classical Poincaré inequality. We show that such inequalities hold true on model manifolds as well, under suitable curvature assumptions and sharpness of some constants is also discussed

Poincaré and Hardy Inequalities on Homogeneous Trees

We study Hardy-type inequalities on infinite homogeneous trees. More precisely, we derive optimal Hardy weights for the combinatorial Laplacian in this setting and we obtain, as a consequence, optimal improvements for the Poincaré inequality

On the stability of a nonlinear nonhomogeneous multiply hinged beam

The paper deals with a nonlinear evolution equation describing the dynamics of a nonhomogeneous multiply hinged beam, subject to a nonlocal restoring force of displacement type. First, a spectral analysis for the associated weighted stationary problem is performed, providing a complete system of eigenfunctions. Then, a linear stability analysis for bimodal solutions of the evolution problem is carried out, with the final goal of suggesting optimal choices of the density and of the position of the internal hinged points in order to improve the stability of the beam. The analysis exploits both analytical and numerical methods; the main conclusion of the investigation is that nonhomogeneous density functions improve the stability of the structure

The fractional porous medium equation on the hyperbolic space

We consider a nonlinear degenerate parabolic equation of porous medium type, whose diffusion is driven by the (spectral) fractional Laplacian on the hyperbolic space. We provide existence results for solutions, in an appropriate weak sense, for data belonging either to the usual Lp spaces or to larger (weighted) spaces determined either in terms of a ground state of the laplacian, or of the (fractional) Green’s function. For such solutions, we also prove different kind of smoothing effects, in the form of quantitative L1- L∞ estimates. To the best of our knowledge, this seems the first time in which the fractional porous medium equation has been treated on non-compact, geometrically non-trivial examples

The role of aerodynamic forces in a mathematical model for suspension bridges

In a fish-bone model for suspension bridges studied by us in a previous paper we introduce linear aerodynamic forces. We numerically analyze the role of these forces and we theoretically show that they do not influence the onset of torsional oscillations. This suggests a new explanation for the origin of instability in suspension bridges: it is a combined interaction between structural nonlinearity and aerodynamics and it follows a precise pattern. This gives an answer to a long-standing question about the origin of torsional instability in suspension bridges