Existence and uniqueness results for a class of rate-independent hysteresis problems

In this paper, we address the problem of existence, approximation, and uniqueness of
solutions to an abstract doubly nonlinear equation, modeling a rate-independent process
with hysteretic behavior. Models of this kind arise in, e.g., plasticity, solid phase transformations,
and several other problems in non smooth mechanics. Existence of solutions
is proved via passage to the limit in a time-discretization scheme, whereas uniqueness
results are obtained by means of convex analysis techniques.