<p>Boundary-contact problems (BCPs) are studied within the frames of</p><p>classical mathematical theory of elasticity and plasticity</p><p>elaborated by Landau, Kupradze, Timoshenko, Goodier, Fichera and</p><p>many others on the basis of analysis of two- and three-dimensional</p><p>boundary value problems for linear partial differential equations.</p><p>A great attention is traditionally paid both to theoretical</p><p>investigations using variational methods and boundary singular</p><p>integral equations (Muskhelishvili) and construction of solutions</p><p>in the form that admit efficient numerical evaluation (Kupradze).</p><p>A special family of BCPs considered by Shtaerman, Vorovich,</p><p>Alblas, Nowell, and others arises within the frames of the models</p><p>of squeezing thin multilayer elastic sheets. We show that</p><p>mathematical models based on the analysis of BCPs can be also</p><p>applied to modeling of the clich\'{e}-surface printing contacts</p><p>and paper surface compressibility in flexographic printing.</p><p>The main result of this work is formulation and complete</p><p>investigation of BCPs in layered structures, which includes both</p><p>the theoretical (statement of the problems, solvability and</p><p>uniqueness) and applied parts (approximate and numerical</p><p>solutions, codes, simulation).</p><p>We elaborate a mathematical model of squeezing a thin elastic</p><p>sheet placed on a stiff base without friction by weak loads</p><p>through several openings on one of its boundary surfaces. We</p><p>formulate and consider the corresponding BCPs in two- and</p><p>three-dimensional bands, prove the existence and uniqueness of</p><p>solutions, and investigate their smoothness including the behavior</p><p>at infinity and in the vicinity of critical points. The BCP in a</p><p>two-dimensional band is reduced to a Fredholm integral equation</p><p>(IE) with a logarithmic singularity of the kernel. The theory of</p><p>logarithmic IEs developed in the study includes the analysis of</p><p>solvability and development of solution techniques when the set of</p><p>integration consists of several intervals. The IE associated with</p><p>the BCP is solved by three methods based on the use of</p><p>Fourier-Chebyshev series, matrix-algebraic determination of the</p><p>entries in the resulting infinite system matrix, and</p><p>semi-inversion. An asymptotic theory for the BCP is developed and</p><p>the solutions are obtained as asymptotic series in powers of the</p><p>characteristic small parameter.</p><p>We propose and justify a technique for the solution of BCPs and</p><p>boundary value problems with boundary conditions of mixed type</p><p>called the approximate decomposition method (ADM). The main idea</p><p>of ADM is simplifying general BCPs and reducing them to a chain</p><p>of auxiliary problems for 'shifted' Laplacian in long rectangles</p><p>or parallelepipeds and then to a sequence of iterative problems</p><p>such that each of them can be solved (explicitly) by the Fourier</p><p>method. The solution to the initial BCP is then obtained as a</p><p>limit using a contraction operator, which constitutes in</p><p>particular an independent proof of the BCP unique solvability.</p><p>We elaborate a numerical method and algorithms based on the</p><p>approximate decomposition and the computer codes and perform</p><p>comprehensive numerical analysis of the BCPs including the</p><p>simulation for problems of practical interest. A variety of</p><p>computational results are presented and discussed which form the</p><p>basis for further applications for the modeling and simulation of</p><p>printing-plate contact systems and other structures of</p><p>flexographic printing. A comparison with finite-element solution</p><p>is performed.</p>

Boundary-contact problems (BCPs) are studied within the frames of classical mathematical theory of elasticity and plasticity elaborated by Landau, Kupradze, Timoshenko, Goodier, Fichera and many others on the basis of analysis of two- and three-dimensional boundary value problems for linear partial differential equations. A great attention is traditionally paid both to theoretical investigations using variational methods and boundary singular integral equations (Muskhelishvili) and construction of solutions in the form that admit efficient numerical evaluation (Kupradze). A special family of BCPs considered by Shtaerman, Vorovich, Alblas, Nowell, and others arises within the frames of the models of squeezing thin multilayer elastic sheets. We show that mathematical models based on the analysis of BCPs can be also applied to modeling of the clich\'-surface printing contacts and paper surface compressibility in flexographic printing. The main result of this work is formulation and complete investigation of BCPs in layered structures, which includes both the theoretical (statement of the problems, solvability and uniqueness) and applied parts (approximate and numerical solutions, codes, simulation). We elaborate a mathematical model of squeezing a thin elastic sheet placed on a stiff base without friction by weak loads through several openings on one of its boundary surfaces. We formulate and consider the corresponding BCPs in two- and three-dimensional bands, prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions, and investigate their smoothness including the behavior at infinity and in the vicinity of critical points. The BCP in a two-dimensional band is reduced to a Fredholm integral equation (IE) with a logarithmic singularity of the kernel. The theory of logarithmic IEs developed in the study includes the analysis of solvability and development of solution techniques when the set of integration consists of several intervals. The IE associated with the BCP is solved by three methods based on the use of Fourier-Chebyshev series, matrix-algebraic determination of the entries in the resulting infinite system matrix, and semi-inversion. An asymptotic theory for the BCP is developed and the solutions are obtained as asymptotic series in powers of the characteristic small parameter. We propose and justify a technique for the solution of BCPs and boundary value problems with boundary conditions of mixed type called the approximate decomposition method (ADM). The main idea of ADM is simplifying general BCPs and reducing them to a chain of auxiliary problems for 'shifted' Laplacian in long rectangles or parallelepipeds and then to a sequence of iterative problems such that each of them can be solved (explicitly) by the Fourier method. The solution to the initial BCP is then obtained as a limit using a contraction operator, which constitutes in particular an independent proof of the BCP unique solvability. We elaborate a numerical method and algorithms based on the approximate decomposition and the computer codes and perform comprehensive numerical analysis of the BCPs including the simulation for problems of practical interest. A variety of computational results are presented and discussed which form the basis for further applications for the modeling and simulation of printing-plate contact systems and other structures of flexographic printing. A comparison with finite-element solution is performed.

The interest in wireless communications among consumers has exploded since the introduction of the "3G" cell phone standards. One reason for their success is the increasingly higher data rates achievable through the networks. A further increase in data rates is possible through the use of multiple antennas at either or both sides of the wireless links. Precoding and receive filtering using matrices obtained from a singular value decomposition (SVD) of the channel matrix is a transmission strategy for achieving the channel capacity of a deterministic narrowband multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications channel. When signalling over wideband channels using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), an SVD must be performed for every sub-carrier. As the number of sub-carriers of this traditional approach grow large, so does the computational load. It is therefore interesting to study alternate means for obtaining the decomposition. A wideband MIMO channel can be modeled as a matrix filter with a finite impulse response, represented by a polynomial matrix. This thesis is concerned with investigating algorithms which decompose the polynomial channel matrix directly. The resulting decomposition factors can then be used to obtain the sub-carrier based precoding and receive filtering matrices. Existing approximative polynomial matrix QR and singular value decomposition algorithms were modified, and studied in terms of decomposition quality and computational complexity. The decomposition algorithms were shown to give decompositions of good quality, but if the goal is to obtain precoding and receive filtering matrices, the computational load is prohibitive for channels with long impulse responses. Two algorithms for performing exact rational decompositions (QRD/SVD) of polynomial matrices were proposed and analyzed. Although they for simple cases resulted in excellent decompositions, issues with numerical stability of a spectral factorization step renders the algorithms in their current form purposeless. For a MIMO channel with exponentially decaying power-delay profile, the sum rates achieved by employing the filters given from the approximative polynomial SVD algorithm were compared to the channel capacity. It was shown that if the symbol streams were decoded independently, as done in the traditional approach, the sum rates were sensitive to errors in the decomposition. A receiver with a spatially joint detector achieved sum rates close to the channel capacity, but with such a receiver the low complexity detector set-up of the traditional approach is lost. Summarizing, this thesis has shown that a wideband MIMO channel can be diagonalized in space and frequency using OFDM in conjunction with an approximative polynomial SVD algorithm. In order to reach sum rates close to the capacity of a simple channel, the computational load becomes restraining compared to the traditional approach, for channels with long impulse responses.