Existence for coupled pseudomonotone-strongly monotone systems and application to a Cahn-Hilliard model with elasticity

Abstract

A system of two operator equations is considered - one of pseudomonotone type and the other of strongly monotone type - both being strongly coupled. Conditions are given that allow to reduce the solvability of this system to a single operator equation for a pseudomonotone mapping. This result is applied to a coupled system consisting of a parabolic equation of forth order in space of Cahn-Hilliard type and a nonlinear elliptic equation of second order to a quasi-steady mechanical equilibrium. Using an appropriate notation of weak solutions and a framework for evolution equations developed by Gr\"oger, the system is reduced to a single parabolic operator equation and the existence of solutions are shown under restrictions on the strength of the coupling.