A Natural Generalization of Hypoelasticity and Eulerian Rate Type Formulation of Hyperelasticity

According to the classical hypoelasticity theory, the hypoelasticity tensor, i.e. the fourth order Eulerian constitutive tensor, characterizing the linear relationship between the stretching and an objective stress rate, is dependent on the current stress and must be isotropic. Although the classical hypoelasticity in this sense includes as a particular case the isotropic elasticity, it fails to incorporate any given type of anisotropic elasticity. This implies that one can formulate the isotropic elasticity as an integrable-exactly classical hypoelastic relation, whereas one can in no way do the same for any given type of anisotropic elasticity. A generalization of classical theory is available, which assumes that the material time derivative of the rotated stress is dependent on the rotated Cauchy stress, the rotated stretching and a Lagrangean spin, linear and of the first degree in the latter two. As compared with the original idea of classical hypoelasticity, perhaps the just-mentioned generalization might be somewhat drastic. In this article, we show that, merely replacing the isotropy property of the aforementioned stress-dependent hypoelasticity tensor with the invariance property of the latter under an R-rotating material symmetry group R⋆ G ₀, one may establish a natural generalization of classical theory, which includes all of elasticity. Here R is the rotation tensor in the polar decomposition of the deformation gradient and G ₀ any given initial material symmetry group. In particular, the classical case is recovered whenever the material symmetry is assumed to be isotropic. With the new generalization it is demonstrated that any two non-integrable hypoelastic relations based on any two objective stress rates predict quite different path-dependent responses in nature and hence can in no sense be equivalent. Thus, the non-integrable hypoelastic relations based on any given objective stress rate constitute an independent constitutive class in its own right which is disjoint with and hence distinguishes itself from any class based on another objective stress rate. Only for elasticity, equivalent hypoelastic formulations based on different stress rates may be established. Moreover, universal integrability conditions are derived for all kinds of objective corotational stress rates and for all types of material symmetry. Explicit, simple, integrable-exactly hypoelastic relations based on the newly discovered logarithmic stress rate are presented to characterize hyperelasticity with any given type of material symmetry. It is shown that, to achieve the latter goal, the logarithmic stress rate is the only choice among all infinitely many objective corotational stress rates. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Convergence of Peridynamics to Classical Elasticity Theory

The peridynamic model of solid mechanics is a nonlocal theory containing a length scale. It is based on direct interactions between points in a continuum separated from each other by a finite distance. The maximum interaction distance provides a length scale for the material model. This paper addresses the question of whether the peridynamic model for an elastic material reproduces the classical local model as this length scale goes to zero. We show that if the motion, constitutive model, and any nonhomogeneities are sufficiently smooth, then the peridynamic stress tensor converges in this limit to a Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor that is a function only of the local deformation gradient tensor, as in the classical theory. This limiting Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor field is differentiable, and its divergence represents the force density due to internal forces. The limiting, or collapsed, stress-strain model satisfies the conditions in the classical theory for angular momentum balance, isotropy, objectivity, and hyperelasticity, provided the original peridynamic constitutive model satisfies the appropriate conditions.      

Fully coupled, multi-axial, symmetric constitutive laws for polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramics

In this paper, a general form for multi-axial constitutive laws for ferroelectric ceramics is constructed. The foundation of the theory is an assumed form for the Helmholtz free energy of the material. Switching surfaces and associated flow rules are postulated in a modified stress and electric field space such that a positive dissipation rate during switching is guaranteed. The resulting tangent moduli relating increments of stress and electric field to increments of strain and electric displacement are symmetric since changes in the linear elastic, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the material are included in the switching surface. Finally, parameters of the model are determined for two uncoupled cases, namely non-remanent straining ferroelectrics and purely ferroelastic switching, and then for the fully coupled ferroelectric case.     

A Crack with an Electric Displacement Saturation Zone in an Electrostrictive Material

A crack with an electric displacement saturation zone in an electrostrictive material under purely electric loading is analyzed. A strip saturation model is here employed to investigate the effect of the electrical polarization saturation on electric fields and elastic fields. A closed form solution of electric fields and elastic fields for the crack with the strip saturation zone is obtained by using the complex function theory. It is found that the K _I -dominant region is very small compared to the strip saturation zone. The generalized Dugdale zone model is also employed in order to investigate the effect of the saturation zone shape on the stress intensity factor. Using the body force analogy, the stress intensity factor for the asymptotic problem of a crack with an elliptical saturation zone is evaluated numerically.     

Plane-strain crack problems in microstructured solids governed by dipolar gradient elasticity

The present study aims at determining the elastic stress and displacement fields around the tips of a finite-length crack in a microstructured solid under remotely applied plane-strain loading (mode I and II cases). The material microstructure is modeled through the Toupin-Mindlin generalized continuum theory of dipolar gradient elasticity. According to this theory, the strain-energy density assumes the form of a positive-definite function of the strain tensor (as in classical elasticity) and the gradient of the strain tensor (additional term). A simple but yet rigorous version of the theory is employed here by considering an isotropic linear expression of the elastic strain-energy density that involves only three material constants (the two Lamé constants and the so-called gradient coefficient). First, a near-tip asymptotic solution is obtained by the Knein-Williams technique. Then, we attack the complete boundary value problem in an effort to obtain a full-field solution. Hypersingular integral equations with a cubic singularity are formulated with the aid of the Fourier transform. These equations are solved by analytical considerations on Hadamard finite-part integrals and a numerical treatment. The results show significant departure from the predictions of standard fracture mechanics. In view of these results, it seems that the classical theory of elasticity is inadequate to analyze crack problems in microstructured materials. Indeed, the present results indicate that the stress distribution ahead of the crack tip exhibits a local maximum that is bounded. Therefore, this maximum value may serve as a measure of the critical stress level at which further advancement of the crack may occur. Also, in the vicinity of the crack tip, the crack-face displacement closes more smoothly as compared to the standard result and the strain field is bounded. Finally, the J-integral (energy release rate) in gradient elasticity was evaluated. A decrease of its value is noticed in comparison with the classical theory. This shows that the gradient theory predicts a strengthening effect since a reduction of crack driving force takes place as the material microstructure becomes more pronounced.     

Energy principle of ferroelectric ceramics and single domain mechanical model

Many physical experiments have shown that the domain switching in a ferroelectric material is a complicated evolution process of the domain wall with the variation of stress and electric field. According to this mechanism, the volume fraction of the domain switching is introduced in the constitutive law of ferroelectric ceramic and used to study the nonlinear constitutive behavior of ferroelectric body in this paper. The principle of stationary total energy is put forward in which the basic unknown quantities are the displacement u _i , electric displacement D _i and volume fraction ρ _I of the domain switching for the variant I. Mechanical field equation and a new domain switching criterion are obtained from the principle of stationary total energy. The domain switching criterion proposed in this paper is an expansion and development of the energy criterion. On the basis of the domain switching criterion, a set of linear algebraic equations for the volume fraction ρ _I of domain switching is obtained, in which the coefficients of the linear algebraic equations only contain the unknown strain and electric fields. Then a single domain mechanical model is proposed in this paper. The poled ferroelectric specimen is considered as a transversely isotropic single domain. By using the partial experimental results, the hardening relation between the driving force of domain switching and the volume fraction of domain switching can be calibrated. Then the electromechanical response can be calculated on the basis of the calibrated hardening relation. The results involve the electric butterfly shaped curves of axial strain versus axial electric field, the hysteresis loops of electric displacement versus electric filed and the evolution process of the domain switching in the ferroelectric specimens under uniaxial coupled stress and electric field loading. The present theoretic prediction agrees reasonably with the experimental results given by Lynch. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10572138).     

A failure of a class of K-BKZ equations based on principal stretches

The invariants in the K-BKZ constitutive equation for an incompressible viscoelastic fluid are usually taken to be the trace of the Finger strain tensor and its inverse. The basis for this choice of invariants is not derived from the K-BKZ theory, but rather is due to the perception that this is the most natural choice. Research into using other sets of invariants in the K-BKZ equation, such as the principal stretches or the eigenvalues of the Finger strain tensor (i.e., the squares of the principal stretches) is relatively new. We attempt here to derive a K-BKZ equation based on the squares of the principal stretches that models the behavior of a low-density polyethylene melt in simple shear and uniaxial elongational deformation. In doing so, two assumptions are made as to the form of the strain-dependent energy function: first, that there is a function f(q) such that the energy function can be written as the sum of f(q _i ),i = 1, 2, 3, where the q _i 'sare the squares of the principal stretches, and second that f is a power law. We find that the K-BKZ equation resulting from these two assumptions is inadequate to describe both the shear and elongational behavior of our material and we conclude that the second of the above assumptions is not valid. Further investigation, including predictions of the second normal stress difference and some finite element calculations reveals that the first assumption is also invalid for our material.     

An incremental variational formulation of dissipative and non-dissipative coupled thermoelasticity for solids

In the early 1990s, Green and Naghdi introduced a theory attracting interest as heat propagates as thermal waves at finite speed and does not necessarily involve energy dissipation. Another outstanding property of the so-called theory of type II is the fact that the entropy flux vector is determined by means of the same potential as the mechanical stress tensor. Motivated by the procedure of [9, 15], we formulate a variational formulation within the incremental framework for coupled thermoelasticity for type I mimicing type II. The entropy flux of type II is determined via the free energy acting as a potential. This is not possible for the classical Fourier case in the continuous setting. Therefore, we target a derivation of an incremental entropy flux following Fourier’s law by means of incremental potentials similar to the spirit of the theory of the non-dissipative Green–Naghdi-type II. Subsequently, we show that the resulting update algorithm is a convenient fully coupled finite element formulation of the proposed thermoelastic problem.     

Asymptotic analysis of an impermeable crack in an electrostrictive material subjected to electric loading

The simple asymptotic problem of an impermeable crack in an electrostrictive ceramic under electric loading is analyzed. Closed form solutions of elastic fields are obtained by using the complex function theory. It is found that the K_I-dominant region is very small compared to the electric saturation zone. A fracture parameter for an electrostrictive material subjected to electric loading is discussed. In order to investigate the influence of the transverse electric displacement on fracture behavior under the small-scale conditions, we also consider the modified boundary layer problem of a crack in an electrostrictive material. Analytic solutions of electric displacement fields for the asymptotic problem are obtained based on the nonlinear dielectric theory from a modified boundary layer analysis. The shape of the electric displacement saturation zone is shown to depend on the transverse electric displacement. Stress intensity factors induced by the electrostrictive strains are evaluated using the nonlinear solution of the electric displacements. It is found that the transverse electric displacement affects strongly the variation of the mode mixity.     

Finite Bending of a Rectangular Block of an Elastic Hencky Material

Hencky's elasticity model is an isotropic, finite hyperelastic equation obtained by simply replacing the Cauchy stress tensor and the infinitesimal strain tensor in the classical Hooke's law for isotropic infinitesimal elasticity with the Kirchhoff stress tensor and Hencky's logarithmic strain tensor. A study by Anand in 1979 and 1986 indicates that it is a realistic finite elasticity model that is in good accord with experimental data for a variety of engineering materials for moderate deformations. Most recently, by virtue of well-founded physical grounds and rigorous mathematical procedures it has been demonstrated by these authors that this model may be essential to achieving self-consistent Eulerian rate type theories of finite inelasticity, e.g., the J ₂-flow theory for metal plasticity, etc. Its predictions have been studied for some typical deformation modes, including extension, simple shear and torsion, etc. Here we are concerned with finite bending of a rectangular block. We show that a closed-form solution may be obtained. We present explicit expressions for the bending angle and the bending moment in terms of the maximum or minimum circumferential stretch in a general case of compressible deformations for any assigned stretch normal to the bending plane. In particular, simplified results are derived for the plane strain case and for the case of incompressibility. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Visco-electro-elastic models of fiber-distributed active tissues

We present a constitutive model for stochastically distributed fiber reinforced visco-active tissues, where the behavior of the reinforcement depends on the relative orientation of the electric field. Following our previous works, for the passive behaviors we adopt a second order approximation of the strain energy density associated to the parameters of the fiber distribution. Consistently, we also assume that the active behavior accounts for the stochastic distribution of the fibers. The ensuing mechanical quantities result to be dependent on two average structure tensors. We introduce an extended Helmholtz free energy density characterized by the inclusion of a directional active potential, dependent on a stochastic anisotropic permittivity tensor. The permittivity tensor is expanded in Taylor series up to the second order, allowing to obtain an approximated active potential with the same structure of the passive Helmholtz free energy density. In particular, the explicit expression of active stress and stiffness are dependent on the two average structure tensors that characterize the passive response. Anisotropy follows from the fiber distribution and inherits its stochastic nature through statistics parameters. The active fiber distributed model is extended here to viscous materials by including the contribution of a dual dissipation potential in the variational formulation of the constitutive updates. Additionally, we present a computational example of application of the electro-viscous-mechanical material model by simulating peristaltic contractions on a portion of human intestine.     

Material electromagnetic fields and material forces

Electromagnetic fields address configurational forces in a natural way through an energy–stress tensor, which reduces to the Maxwell tensor in the simplest case. This tensor is related to physical forces and to the Cauchy traction in a continuum. Material forces, as opposed to physical forces, are of a different nature as they act upon a site of a continuum where the possible material inhomogeneity is located. A material energy–stress tensor, which is reminiscent of the Maxwell stress, is associated with these forces. Through appropriate balance laws, a material momentum is also associated with material forces. The material momentum is of particular interest in electromagnetic materials as it is intimately related to the pseudomomentum of light [Peierls in Highlights of Condensed Matter Physics, pp. 237–255 (1985) and in Surprises in Theoretical Physics, pp. 91–99 (1979); Thellung in Ann. Phys. 127, 289–301 (1980)]. The balance law for the material momentum can be derived either from the classical physical laws or independently of them. This derivation, which is based on the material electromagnetic potentials and the related gauge transformations, is discussed and commented on for an electromagnetic body.     

The non-uniqueness of the atomistic stress tensor and its relationship to the generalized Beltrami representation

The non-uniqueness of the atomistic stress tensor is a well-known issue when defining continuum fields for atomistic systems. In this paper, we study the non-uniqueness of the atomistic stress tensor stemming from the non-uniqueness of the potential energy representation. In particular, we show using rigidity theory that the distribution associated with the potential part of the atomistic stress tensor can be decomposed into an irrotational part that is independent of the potential energy representation, and a traction-free solenoidal part. Therefore, we have identified for the atomistic stress tensor a discrete analog of the continuum generalized Beltrami representation (a version of the vector Helmholtz decomposition for symmetric tensors). We demonstrate the validity of these analogies using a numerical test. A program for performing the decomposition of the atomistic stress tensor called MDStressLab is available online at http://mdstresslab.org.     

A new two-point deformation tensor and its relation to the classical kinematical framework and the stress concept

Starting from the issue of what is the correct form for a Legendre transformation of the strain energy in terms of Eulerian and two-point tensor variables we introduce a new two-point deformation tensor, namely H=(F−F^−T)/2, as a possible deformation measure involving points in two distinct configurations. The Lie derivative of H is work conjugate to the first Piola–Kirchhoff stress tensor P. The deformation measure H leads to straightforward manipulations within a two-point setting such as the derivation of the virtual work equation and its linearization required for finite element implementation. The manipulations are analogous to those used for the Lagrangian and Eulerian frameworks. It is also shown that the Legendre transformation in terms of two-point tensors and spatial tensors require Lie derivatives. As an illustrative example we propose a simple Saint Venant–Kirchhoff type of a strain-energy function in terms of H. The constitutive model leads to physically meaningful results also for the large compressive strain domain, which is not the case for the classical Saint Venant–Kirchhoff material.     

Mechanics and physics of energy density theory

As a departure from the classical continuum mechanics approach, irreversible material behavior is uniquely identified with the exchange of surface and volume energy density through the rate of change of volume with surface area. This provides an one-to-one correspondence between the uniaxial and multiaxial stress or energy state. Equivalent uniaxial stress and strain response can thus be determined for each material element that undergoes damage by permanent deformation and/or fracture. Discussed in detail are the applications of surface energy or volume energy with continuum mechanics theories for analyzing failure in contrast to the strain energy density that analyzes stress and failure simultaneously. In particular, the results for the progressive damage of a slowly moving crack are presented and compared with those obtained from the theory of plasticity. It is shown that the neglected of dilatational energy in plasticity results in inaccurate prediction of the state of affairs near the crack tip.Since the stresses and strains in the strain energy density theory are determined separately, nonlinear and finite strains may be easily included into dV/dA and incorporated into the formulation. This opens the door to a class of nonlinear problems that can be solved directly even for finite and large strains including energy dissipation.     

Small elastoplastic strains of dielectrics

The theory of small elastoplastic strains of dielectrics in the presence of an electric field is developed in the work. An expression is obtained for the electric part of the stress tensor. Total free energy minimum theorems with constant temperature and simple proportional loading and unloading theorems are proved. Experiments to calculate the mass functions are discussed.     

Dynamic analysis of a penny-shaped dielectric crack in a magnetoelectroelastic solid under impacts

The transient response of a magneto-electro-elastic material with a penny-shaped dielectric crack subjected to in-plane magneto-electro-mechanical impacts is made. To simulate an opening crack with a dielectric interior, the crack-face electromagnetic boundary conditions are supposed to depend on the crack opening displacement and the jumps of electric and magnetic potentials across the crack. Four ideal crack-face electromagnetic boundary conditions involving a combination of electrically permeable or impermeable and magnetically permeable or impermeable assumptions can be reduced. The Laplace and Hankel transform techniques are further utilized to solve the mixed initial-boundary-value problem. Three coupling Fredholm integral equations are obtained and solved by the composite Simpson's rule. Dynamic field intensity factors of stress, electric displacement, magnetic induction, crack opening displacement (COD), electric potential and magnetic potential are given in the Laplace transform domain. By means of a numerical inversion of the Laplace transform, numerical results are calculated to show the variations of the physical parameters of concern versus the normalized time in graphics. The effects of applied electric and magnetic loads on the dynamic intensity factors of stress and COD, and the dynamic energy release rate for a BaTiO₃-CoFe₂O₄ composite with a penny-shaped vacuum crack are discussed in detail.     

Multiple cracks in thermoelectroelastic bimaterials

The formulation for thermal stress and electric displacement in an infinite thermopiezoelectric plate with an interface and multiple cracks is presented. Using Green's function approach and the principle of superposition, a system of singular integral equations for the unknown temperature discontinuity defined on each crack face is developed and solved numerically. The formulation can then be used to calculate some fracture parameters such as the stress–electric displacement and strain energy density factor. The direction of crack growth for many cracks in thermopiezoelectric bimaterials is predicted by way of the strain energy density theory. Numerical results for stress–electric displacement factors and crack growth direction at a particular crack tip in two crack system of bimaterials are presented to illustrate the application of the proposed formulation.