There are many mathematical and engineering methods, problems and experiments which make use of the finite element method. For any given use of the finite element method we get an approximate solution and we usually wish to have some indication of the accuracy in the approximation. In the case when the calculation is done to estimate a quantity of interest the indication of the accuracy is concerned with estimating the difference between the unknown exact value and the finite element approximation. With a means of estimating the error, this can sometimes be used to determine how to improve the accuracy by repeating the computation with a finer mesh. A large part of this thesis is concerned with a set-up of this type with the physical problem described in a weak form and with the error in the estimate of the quantity of interest given in terms of a function which solves a related dual problem. We consider this in the case of modelling the large deformation of thin incompressible isotropic hyperelastic sheets under pressure loading. We assume throughout that the thin sheet can be modelled as a membrane, which gives us a two dimensional description of a three dimensional deformation and this simplifies further to a one space dimensional description in the axisymmetric case when we use cylindrical polar coordinates. In the general case we consider the deformation under quasi-static conditions and in the axisymmetric case we consider both quasi-static conditions and dynamic conditions, which involves the full equations of motion, which gives three different problems. In all the three problems we describe how to get the finite element solution, we describe associated dual problems, we describe how to solve these dual problems and we consider using the dual solutions in error estimation. There is hence a common framework. The details however vary considerably and much of the thesis is in describing each case.

Les problèmes de transmission avec couche mince sont délicats à approcher numériquement, en raison de la nécessité de construire des maillages à l’échelle de la couche mince. Il est courant d’éviter ces difficultés en usant de problèmes avec conditions aux limites approchées — dites d’impédance. Si l’approximation des problèmes de transmission par des problèmes d’impédance s’avère performante dans le cas de domaines réguliers, elle l’est beaucoup moins lorsque ceux-ci comportent des coins ou arêtes. L’objet de cette thèse est de proposer de nouvelles conditions d’impédance, plus performantes, afin de corriger cette perte de performance. Pour cela, les développements asymptotiques des différents problèmes-modèles sont construits et étudiés afin de localiser avec précision l’origine de la perte, en lien avec les profils singuliers associés aux coins et arêtes. De nouvelles conditions d’impédance sont construites, de type Robin multi-échelle ou Venctel. D’abord étudiées en dimension 2, elles sont ensuite généralisées à certaines situations en dimension 3. Des simulations viennent confirmer l’efficience des méthodes théoriques. / Transmission problems with thin layer are delicate to approximate numerically, because of the necessity to build meshes on the scale of the thin layer. It is common to avoid these difficulties by using problems with approximate boundary conditions — also called impedance conditions. Whereas the approximation of transmission problems by impedance problems turns out to be successful in the case of smooth domains, the situation is less satisfactory in the presence of corners and edges. The goal of this thesis is to propose new impedance conditions, more efficient, to correct this lack of performance. For that purpose, the asymptotic expansions of the various models -problems are built and studied to locate exactly the origin of the loss, in connection with the singular profiles associated to corners and edges. New impedance conditions are built, of multi-scale Robin or Venctel types. At first studied in dimension 2, they are then generalized in certain situations in dimension 3. Simulations have been carried out to confirm the efficiency of the theoretical methods to some.