A posteriori error analysis for a distributed optimal control problem governed by the von Kármán equations

Abstract: This article discusses numerical analysis of the distributed optimal control problem governed by the von K\'{a}rm\'{a}n equations defined on a polygonal domain in $\mathbb{R}^2$. The state and adjoint variables are discretised using the nonconforming Morley finite element method and the control is discretized using piecewise constant functions. A priori and a posteriori error estimates are derived for the state, adjoint and control variables. The a posteriori error estimates are shown to be efficient. Numerical results that confirm the theoretical estimates are presented.