General properties of relaxation curves in the case of the initial stage of strain with a constant rate in the linear heredity theory

Qualitative properties of relaxation curves are analytically studied in the case of linear-time strain at the initial stage. These curves are induced by an integral constitutive relation of viscoelasticity with an arbitrary relaxation function. Among these properties are the intervals of monotonicity and convexity, jumps, breaks, the asymptotics of curves, their dependence on the parameters of the initial stage of strain and on the properties of a relaxation function, the convergence type of a family of relaxation curves when the duration of the initial stage tends to zero, etc.