
54 
Free-boundary problems: formulation 
where the domains 
Db 
D
2
, 
D3  are  the parts of  D  between  0 < x 
::s:; 
XF, 
XC::S:;X<Xb 
XF<X<XC 
respectively and in (2.71c) and (2.71d), 
[t]+= 
t for 
t~O, 
[tJ+ 
= 0 for 
t::s:;O. 
The 
tenn 
'quasi-variational inequality' is used in 
this  fonnulation  because 
the 
function  z(x, 
Y(x)) 
depends  itself  on  the 
unknown function 
z. 
Baiocchi (1975a) gave a derivation of (2.71) which was reproduced by 
Bruch  (1980).  Baiocchi 
(1975a,1975b),  Baiocchi,  Comincioli,  and 
Maione (1975), and Comincioli (1975) established 
the 
existence of maxi-
mal  and  minimal  solutions  for  a  range  of  problems,  and  Comincioli 
(1975) and Baiocchi 
(1975a) gave numerical algorithms 
to 
obtain approx-
imations 
to 
them. Uniqueness 
of 
the 
solutions of their quasi-variational 
inequalities 
is 
conjectured because 
the 
numerical experiments showed the 
maximal and minimal solutions 
to 
be 
the same (Baiocchi 1975c; Gilardi 
1976; Baiocchi, Brezzi, and Comincioli 1976). 
The 
problem of 
the 
dam 
with slanting inlet face  §2.3.4 
is 
the 
special 
case 
Xc 
= 
Xl 
= Xe  (Fig.  2.7)  of  (2.71)  and  was  solved  in  this  way  by 
Baiocchi 
(1975a) and Comincioli (1975) who gave algorithms and numer-
ical results for 
the 
maximal and minimal solutions. Bruch (1980) indicated 
how the quasi fonnulation can 
be 
reduced 
to 
the fonnulation given above 
in §2.3.4 when 
Yx(x) = 
Yl/XF' 
Baiocchi (1975a)  showed how 
the 
varia-
tional inequality (2.36) for 
the 
simple 
dam" 
problem 
is 
regained from 
the 
general quasi theory when D  is  a rectangle. 
The 
dam 
with vertical inlet face and horizontal base 
but 
slanting exit 
face also presents a quasi-variational problem. 
In 
Baiocchi et 
al. 
(1976) 
and Baiocchi and Magenes (1974,  1975) 
the 
problem is  expressed as  a 
family of variational inequalities depending 
on 
two parameters q and 
the 
horizontal distance 
to 
the 
intersection of 
the 
free surface with 
the 
seepage 
face.  Baiocchi 
et 
al. 
(1975) solved a quasi-variational inequality for 
the 
dam with both 
faGes 
slanted 
on 
a horizontal base. 
In 
§§2.11 
and 
8.6 generalized fonnulations  are given  of problems in 
arbitrary shaped dams  by  Brezis 
et 
al. 
and independently by 
Alt 
who 
constructed a general purpose algorithm. 
Various aspects of steady flow  in a fairly general region, leading 
to 
a 
truncation algorithm (§6.3), were studied by Rogers (1980, pp. 333-82). 
2.3.8.  Arbitrary-shaped dam with 
toe 
drain:  split-domain method 
In 
order 
to 
avoid  the  complexities  of  quasi-variational  inequalities 
Bruch 
et 
al. 
(1982)  proposed 
to 
use 
the 
Baiocchi  transfonnation  and 
fonnulation only in 
the 
part 
of 
the 
solution domain containing 
the 
free 
surface,  and  in 
the 
remaining 
part 
of  the  domain 
to 
apply  classical 
methods for solving fixed boundary-value problems. 
The 
two regions thus 
defined have 
an 
overlap which permits an alternating iterative numerical 
scheme 
to 
be 
adopted. 
The 
approach was  first  used  by 
Remar 
et 
al.