A constrained theory of a Cosserat point for the numerical solution of dynamic problems of non-linear elastic rods with rigid cross-sections

A constrained theory of a Cosserat point has been developed for the numerical solution of non-linear elastic rods. The cross-sections of the rod element are constrained to remain rigid but tangential shear deformations and axial extension are admitted. As opposed to the more general theory with deformable cross-sections, the kinetic coupling equations in the numerical formulation of the constrained theory are expressed in terms of the simple physical quantities of force and mechanical moment applied to the common ends of neighboring elements. Also, in contrast with standard finite element methods, the Cosserat element uses a direct approach to the development of constitutive equations. Specifically the kinetic quantities are determined by algebraic expressions which are obtained by derivatives of a strain energy function. Most importantly, no integration is needed over the element region. A number of example problems have been considered which indicate that the constrained Cosserat element can be used to model large deformation dynamic response of non-linear elastic rods.     

Homogeneous monotropic elastic rods: Normal uniform configurations and universal solutions

A number of simple solutions are obtained which are universal for an homogeneous monotropic elastic rod whose theory is based on a Cosserat-type model.

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Sommario Si ottengono alcune soluzioni semplici che sono universali per una trave omogenea monotropica la cui teoria è basata su un modello alla Cosserat.

     

Inequalities of Korn’s Type and Existence Results in the Theory of Cosserat Elastic Shells

This paper is concerned with the linear theory of anisotropic and inhomogeneous Cosserat elastic shells. We establish the inequalities of Korn’s type which hold on Cosserat surfaces. Using these inequalities, we prove the existence of the solution to the variational equations in the elastostatics of Cosserat shells. For the dynamic problems, we employ the semigroup of linear operators theory to obtain the existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence of solution.      

A model for lipid membranes with tilt and distension based on three-dimensional liquid crystal theory

The relationship between the two-dimensional theory of tilted lipid membranes and three-dimensional liquid crystal theory is discussed in detail. The latter framework furnishes an appropriate foundation for membrane theory and facilitates a straightforward reduction to a well-posed two-dimensional model. This emerges as a special case of the Cosserat theory of elastic shells and incorporates a model of generalized capillarity in which the membrane energy responds to surface curvature and also to surface dilation and its gradient.     

On the theory of elastic shells made from a material with voids

In this paper we present a theory for porous elastic shells using the model of Cosserat surfaces. We employ the Nunziato–Cowin theory of elastic materials with voids and introduce two scalar fields to describe the porosity of the shell: one field characterizes the volume fraction variations along the middle surface, while the other accounts for the changes in volume fraction along the shell thickness. Starting from the basic principles, we first deduce the equations of the nonlinear theory of Cosserat shells with voids. Then, in the context of the linear theory, we prove the uniqueness of solution for the boundary initial value problem. In the case of an isotropic and homogeneous material, we determine the constitutive coefficients for Cosserat shells, by comparison with the results derived from the three-dimensional theory of elastic media with voids. To this aim, we solve two elastostatic problems concerning rectangular plates with voids: the pure bending problem and the extensional deformation under hydrostatic pressure.     

Dynamic equations of the theory of thin prismatic bodies with expansion in the system of Legendre polynomials

For a thin anisotropic body that is inhomogeneous with respect to curvilinear coordinates x ¹ and x ² and for an arbitrary homogeneous prismatic anisotropic elastic body of variable thickness with one small dimension in the case of the classical parametrization of its domain, we obtain the equations of motion of the Cosserat theory of elasticity in terms of moments with the kinematic boundary conditions of kinematic meaning and with boundary conditions of physical meaning taken into account.     

Soliton-like solutions based on geometrically nonlinear Cosserat micropolar elasticity

The Cosserat model generalises an elastic material taking into account the possible microstructure of the elements of the material continuum. In particular, within the Cosserat model the structured material point is rigid and can only experience microrotations, which is also known as micropolar elasticity. We present the geometrically nonlinear theory taking into account all possible interaction terms between the elastic and microelastic structures. This is achieved by considering the irreducible pieces of the deformation gradient and of the dislocation curvature tensor. In addition we also consider the so-called Cosserat coupling term. In this setting we seek soliton type solutions assuming small elastic displacements, however, we allow the material points to experience full rotations which are not assumed to be small. By choosing a particular ansatz we are able to reduce the system of equations to a sine–Gordon type equation which is known to have soliton solutions.     

On superposed small deformations on a large deformation of an elastic Cosserat surface

Within the scope of the theory of a Cosserat surface, this paper is concerned with small deformations superposed on a large deformation in elastic shells and plates together with some related aspects of the subject. Special attention is given to problems of stability and vibrations of initially stressed isotropic plates.

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Résumé Dans le cadre de la théorie d'une surface de Cosserat, le présent rapport étudic, pour des plaques et coques élastiques, de petites déformations superposées à une grande déformation, ainsi que certains aspects connexes du sujet. Une attention particulière est accordée aux problèmes de stabilité et de vibrations de plaques isotropiques initialement sous tension.

     

A further work on directed rods

In this paper, we discuss the field equations of a rod with three deformable directors. We then deal with the rod subjected to internal constraints. Finally, we compare the theory of the constrained directed rod with that of an unconstrained rod with two deformable directors and with that of Cosserat rods.     

A properly invariant theory of small deformations superposed on large deformations of an elastic rod

In the context of the direct or Cosserat theory of rods developed by Green, Naghdi and several of their co-workers, this paper is concerned with the development of a theory of small deformations which are superposed on large deformations. The resulting theory is properly invariant under all superposed rigid body motions. Furthermore, it is also valid for elastic rods which are subject to kinematical constraints, and it specializes to a linear theory of an elastic rod which is invariant under superposed rigid body motions. The construction of these theories is based on the method developed by Casey & Naghdi [1] who established similar theories for unconstrained nonpolar elastic bodies.     

Extension,torsion and expansion of an incompressible,hemitropic Cosserat circular cylinder

Constitutive equations for the stress and couple stres on an incompressible, hemitropic, constrained Cosserat material are derived, and the theory is applied to study the problem of finite extension, torsion and expansion of a circular cylinder. As in the theory of isotropic simple elastic materials, it is found that the deformation is controllable by application of only a normal force and a tosional moment at the cylinder ends. It is shown that in general the well known universal relation between the torsional stiffness and the axial force for incompressible, isotropic simple materials in the limit as the twist goes to zero does not exist for incompressible, hemitropic Cosserat materials. However, for a special and unusual class of hemitropic materials, the same universal formula is found to hold for a certain reduced torsional stiffness. The main problem is solved completely for incompressible, hemitropic, linearly elastic, Cosserat materials; and certain additional special features of the Kelvin-Poynting type, which here appear to the first order in the amount of twist of the cylinder, are derived and discussed in relation to experimentally observed composite material behavior.     

Determination of hourglass coefficients in the theory of a Cosserat point for nonlinear elastic beams

The theory of a Cosserat point has recently been used [Int. J. Solids Struct. 38 (2001) 4395] to formulate the numerical solution of problems of nonlinear elastic beams. In that theory the constitutive equations for inhomogeneous elastic deformations included undetermined constants associated with hourglass modes which can occur due to nonuniform cross-sectional extension and nonuniform torsion. The objective of this paper is to determine these hourglass coefficients by matching exact solutions of pure bending and pure torsion applied in different directions on each of the surfaces of the element. It is shown that the resulting constitutive equations in the Cosserat theory do not exhibit unphysical stiffness increases due to thinness of the beam, mesh refinement or incompressibility that are present in the associated Bubnov–Galerkin formulation. Also, example problems of a bar hanging under its own weight and a bar attached to a spinning rigid hub are analyzed.     

On a moment static problem in stresses

Recently one has often been speaking of problems with couple stresses. The theory in which such problems are considered is sometimes called micropolar, or the theory of Cosserat continuum [1]. In the case of elastic medium, such a theory is considered in [2].     

Plane infinitesimal waves in homogeneous elastic plates

Using the theory of elastic Cosserat plates, we obtain conditions for reality of the frequencies of vibration.

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Résumé En utilisant la théorie des plaques élastiques de Cosserat, on obtient les conditions pour réalité des fréquences de vibration.

     

The influence of the reference geometry on the response of elastic shells

Within the scope of the nonlinear theory of an elastic Cosserat surface, this paper is mainly concerned with the influence of the reference geometry and the related aspects of material symmetry restriction on the response of thermoelastic shells. The significance of the effect of the reference geometry is discussed in the case of isotropic shells, which may be of variable thickness in a reference state.     

Prediction on dispersion in elastoplastic unsaturated granular media

This study focuses on the propagation of the plane wave in the elastoplastic unsaturated granular media, and the wave equations and dispersion equations are derived for the media under the framework of Cosserat theory. Due to symmetry, five different wave modes are considered and predicted for the elastoplastic unsaturated granular media based on the Cosserat theory, including two longitudinal waves, one rotational longitudinal wave and two coupled transverse–rotational transverse waves. The correspondence is discussed between these Cosserat wave modes and the classical wave modes. Based on the dispersion equations, the dispersion behaviors are obtained for the five Cosserat wave modes. The results indicated that the different stress-strain stages,including the elastic, hardening and softening stages, have obvious effect on the dispersion behaviors of the Cosserat wave modes.     

Three-dimensional stability theory of deformed bodies. Internal instability

Conclusions In studying internal instability effects for elastic (which is fully obvious) and elastoplastic models of deformable bodies the approximate approach [12, 15] in the three-dimensional stability theory leads to results which disagree quantitatively and qualitatively with the corresponding results of the three-dimensional linearzed stability theory of deformable bodies (the second variant of the theory of small subcritical deformations). In this connection, in studying internal instability effects for various models of deformable bodies, in which elastic or elastoplastic deformations are substantial, the use of this approximate approach is recommended.Institute of Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 21, No. 11, pp. 3–17, November, 1985.     

A Nonlinear Viscoelastic Contact Interphase Modeled as a Cosserat Rod-Like String

Journal of Elasticity - A nonlinear viscoelastic contact interphase is modeled using a Cosserat rod-like string. This Cosserat model is a rod with a deformable cross-section, but with no...