PREFACE

Solid and fluid mechanics are two major subjects studied by all students
of applied mathematics, physics and engineering. Traditionally, these two
subjects are taught separately by two different specialists whose approach,
orientation and notation are in general different. In such separate treat-
ments, it has not always been clear to students that the fundamental ideas
and general principles are indeed common to these subjects. The modern
trend is therefore to make a unified presentation of the ideas and general
principles common to all branches of solid and fluid mechanics under the
general heading of Continuum Mechanics. This unified course develops the
fundamentals and foundations more carefully than the traditional separate
courses where normal tendency is to put emphasis on applications. Once
familiar with the basic concepts and general principles of continuum
mechanics, the student will find little difficulty in specializing in various
branches of solid and fluid mechanics at a later stage.
There appear to be many books available for use by students studying
continuum mechanics. Some are excellent but too sophisticated and terse
for the beginner. Some are too elementary or have only limited scope in
their contents. While teaching continuum mechanics, the authors have
found difficulty over the choice of textbooks to accompany the lectures.
They have felt the need of a detailed and self-contained textbook primarily
intended for the beginners. This book is an attempt to meet this need.
It is based upon courses of lectures given by the authors over a number of
years to the first year graduate students in Bangalore University, Calcutta
University, East Carolina University and the University of Central Florida.
XI
X Preface

The book assumes only a limited knowledge of mechanics, and the material
in it has been selected to introduce the reader to the fundamental ideas,
general principles and applications of continuum mechanics. Despite its
bulk the book is genuinely an introduction to continuum mechanics; hence
no attempt is made to present a detailed account of solid and fluid
mechanics except for the formulation of their governing equations and
immediate simple applications. It is hoped the book will prepare the reader
for further study of various branches of solid and fluid mechanics including
nonlinear elasticity, plasticity, thermoelasticity, viscoelasticity and non-
Newtonian fluid dynamics.
A good knowledge of vectors and tensors is essential for a full apprecia-
tion of continuum mechanics. A simple and self-contained presentation
of these topics primarily tailored to the needs of continuum mechanics
is therefore included in the first three chapters of the book. Since the
Cartesian tensor formulation is sufficient for the development of continuum
mechanics at an elementary level, we have limited our discussion of tensors
to Cartesian tensors only. Bearing in mind the mathematical background
and skill of the students for whom the book is primarily intended, we have
made only minimal use of abstract mathematics. The reader is assumed to
be familiar with traditional mathematics including matrices, geometry,
differential and integral calculus, and ordinary and partial differential
equations, in three-dimensional space.
Chapters 4-8 discuss the fundamental concepts, general principles and
major results of nonlinear continuum mechanics in a detailed and systematic
way. Chapter 4 introduces the continuum hypothesis, basic definitions and
the meanings of the Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations of continuum
mechanics.
The study of deformation of a continuum is the major topic of Chapter
5. Stretch and strain tensors are introduced and their respective geometrical
significances explained. The strain-displacement relations in the general
(nonlinear) and linearized forms are obtained. The compatibility condition
for the linearized case is derived. Principal strains and principal directions
of strain are discussed in some detail.
Chapter 6 deals with the instantaneous motion of a continuum. The
concept of material derivative is defined and the velocity and acceleration
vectors are introduced. The stretching tensor and the vorticity tensor/vector
are discussed along with their physical significance. The transport formulas
are then proved. The concepts of path lines, stream lines, vortex lines and
circulation are introduced for subsequent references in fluid mechanics.
The seventh chapter is concerned with the concept of stress in a continuum.
Based upon the Cauchy's stress principle, the stress vector and the stress
tensor are defined and their relationship discussed. In addition, the normal
 Preface Xi

stress, the shear stress, the principal stresses and the principal directions
of stress are defined and their basic properties examined. The Piola-
Kirchhoff stress tensors are also introduced.
The field equations of continuum mechanics are presented in Chapter 8.
The equation of continuity and the equations of motion and equilibrium
are obtained by using the laws of balance of mass and momentum. Some
general solutions of the equilibrium equation in terms of various stress
functions are presented. The first law of thermodynamics is used to establish
the energy equation. The Clausius-Duhem inequality is obtained by the use
of the second law of thermodynamics. It is pointed out that all the field
equations are applicable to all continua representing solids, liquids and gases
regardless of their internal physical structure. The crucial need for the
so-called constitutive equations which distinguish one class of materials from
the other while studying the individual branches of continuum mechanics is
indicated. This is the key chapter in the sense that every specialized branch
of solid or fluid mechanics is just an offshoot of this chapter. Discussion of
the constitutive theory falls beyond the scope of the book.
The last two chapters are devoted to the development of the governing
equations of two basic areas of continuum mechanics: linear elasticity and
mechanics of nonviscous and Newtonian viscous fluids. Chapter nine deals
with the fundamental equations of the linear theory of elastic solids. The con-
stitutive equation for a linear elastic solid (generalized Hooke's law) is
postulated and then specialized to homogeneous and isotropic solids. The
governing equations of elastostatics and elastodynamics are derived and the
uniqueness of solutions established. Some standard elastostatic problems
including extension, bending and torsion of beams and the pressure-vessel
problems are discussed. Finally, wave propagation problems including
plane waves, Rayleigh waves and Love waves are studied in some detail.
The final chapter deals with the fundamental equations of fluid mechanics.
Based upon the appropriate constitutive relations, the Euler's equation for a
non-viscous fluid, and the Navier-Stokes equation for a viscous fluid are
derived and their consequences studied. Some standard viscous flow prob-
lems are considered. Further, a brief introduction to water waves is given.
Throughout the book, major emphasis is given to the logical development
of the fundamental principles and unified treatment of solid and fluid
mechanics. All the mathematical preliminaries are presented in Chapters 1
through 3 in order to develop a systematic theory of continuum mechanics.
However, it is not necessary for the reader to know everything contained in
these Chapters before taking up the study of continuum mechanics which
begins with Chapter 4. One can start with Chapter 4 after having just a
broad review of Chapters 1 to 3 and return to appropriate sections of these
chapters for a detailed study as and when the need arises. The theory of
XIV Preface

continuum mechanics dealt with in Chapters 4 to 8 is essentially a systematic

mathematical theory. Special effort is made to present this theory in concise
and clear terms from a mathematical point of view; physical considerations
and motivating arguments are not emphasized beyond a certain point.
However, the last two chapters, which provide links with the traditional
developments of the theory of elasticity and fluid mechanics, are applied-
oriented and contain sufficient physical explanations.
The book contains over 250 worked examples and over 500 exercises.
Some of these are elementary and some are challenging. These should help
the student in the process of understanding and mastering so analytical a
subject as continuum mechanics. Answers and hints to some selected
exercises are provided at the end of the book.
This is a text book designed for use by the beginners in continuum
mechanics. We have therefore made no attempt to present any new material
as such. Also, we have refrained from burdening the reader with historical
notes and references to original sources. Those interested in an advanced
treatment of the topics covered in the book along with full references may
consult the encyclopedia articles of Gurtin, Serrin, Sneddon and Berry,
Truesdell and Noll, and Truesdell and Toupin listed in the Bibliography
given at the end of the book. The Bibliography also includes some other
works recommended for further study and reference. Many of the results
and problems presented in the book are either motivated by or borrowed
from the works cited in the Bibliography. We wish to acknowledge our
indebtness to these works.
In preparing the book, the authors have been encouraged by and have
benefited from the helpful comments/criticisms of a number of students
and faculty members of several universities in the United States and India.
Comments and suggestions made by anonymous reviewers have helped to
improve the quality of the book. The authors are thankful to all these
individuals for their interest in the book.
A major portion of the present version of the book was written when the
first author was a visiting Fulbright scholar at the University of Central
Florida, Orlando, under the Indo-American Fellowship Program. He
records his grateful thanks to the agencies sponsoring the program.
Our special thanks to Jackie Callahan and June Wingler who typed the
manuscript and cheerfully put up with constant revisions and changes. In
spite of the best efforts of everyone involved, doubtless some typographical
errors remain. We do hope that these are both few and obvious, and will
cause minimal confusion. Finally, we thank Brian Miller, Editor, and the
staff of Academic Press for their assistance and cooperation.
D. S. Chandrasekharaiah
Lokenath Debnath