On hysteresis in elasto-plasticity and in ferromagnetism

We define hysteresis as rate-independent memory, illustrate some of its properties, and review some scalar models of elasto-plasticity: the stop, the play, the Prandtl–Ishlinski models. In particular we study the Prager model of linear kinematic hardening, which encompasses stops and plays. We then couple the latter model with the dynamic equation for a one-dimensional system, show existence of a weak solution, and deal with its homogenization. We also discuss the extension to tensors and to three-dimensional systems.

We then deal with ferromagnetic hysteresis. We review the classic Preisach model and a vector extension. Finally, we formulate a model of vector ferromagnetic hysteresis, couple it with the magnetostatic equations, and discuss its homogenization. The latter consists in a two-length-scale model, and corresponds to a variant of the vector Preisach model.