Continuum mechanics – MAE 640

Summer II – 2009

Dr. Konstantinos Sierros

263 ESB new add
kostas.sierros@mail.wvu.edu
 Principal strains
•The tensors E and e can be expressed in any coordinate system much like any dyadic.

•In a rectangular Cartesian system, we have;

•The components of E and e transform according to Eq. (2.5.17):

where i j denotes the direction cosines between the barred and unbarred coordinate
systems [see Eq. (2.2.49)].
 Principal strains
•The principal invariants of the Green–Lagrange strain tensor E are;

dilatation

• The eigenvalues of a strain tensor are called the principal strains, and the
corresponding eigenvectors are called the principal directions of strain.
 Infinitesimal strain tensor and rotation tensor
Infinitesimal Strain Tensor
•When all displacements gradients are small (or infinitesimal), that is, |∇u| << 1, we
can neglect the nonlinear terms in the definition of the Green strain tensor defined
in Eq. (3.4.11).
•In the case of infinitesimal strains, no distinction is made between the material
coordinates X and the spatial coordinates x.
•The linear Green– Lagrange strain tensor and the linear Eulerian strain tensor become
the same.

Cartesian
notation
infinitesimal strain tensor
 Infinitesimal strain tensor and rotation tensor

Expanded form

•The strain components ε11, ε22, and ε33 are the infinitesimal normal strains and ε12,
ε13, and ε23 are the infinitesimal shear strains.
•The shear strains γ12 = 2ε12, γ13 = 2ε13, and γ23 = 2ε23 are called the engineering
shear strains.
 Infinitesimal strain tensor and rotation tensor
Physical Interpretation of Infinitesimal Strain Tensor Components
•To gain insight into the physical meaning of the infinitesimal strain components,

Dividing by ( dS2 )

•Let dX/dS = ˆN, the unit vector in the direction of dX. For small deformations, we
have ds + dS = ds + dS ≈ 2dS, and therefore we have
 Infinitesimal strain tensor and rotation tensor
Physical Interpretation of Infinitesimal Strain Tensor Components

The ratio of change in length per unit

original length for
a line element in the direction of ˆN.

• For example, consider ˆN along the X1-direction

 Infinitesimal strain tensor and rotation tensor
Physical Interpretation of Infinitesimal Strain Tensor Components
•Then we have from Figure below;

•Thus, the normal strain ε11 is the ratio of change in length of a line element that was
parallel to the x1-axis in the undeformed body to its original length.
 Infinitesimal strain tensor and rotation tensor
Infinitesimal Rotation Tensor

infinitesimal rotation tensor

 Rate of Deformation and Vorticity Tensors
Definitions
•In fluid mechanics, velocity vector v(x, t) is the variable of interest as opposed to the
displacement vector u in solid mechanics.
•We can write the velocity gradient tensor L ≡ ∇v as the sum of symmetric and
antisymmetric (or skew-symmetric) tensors

rate of deformation tensor vorticity tensor

or spin tensor

L ≡ ∇v
 Polar decomposition theorem
•Recall that the deformation gradient tensor F transforms a material vector dX at X into
the corresponding spatial vector dx, and it characterizes all of the deformation, stretch
as well as rotation, at X.
Therefore, it forms an essential part of the definition of any strain measure.
•Another role of F in connection with the strain measures is discussed here with the help
of the polar decomposition theorem of Cauchy.
The polar decomposition theorem decomposes the general deformation into pure stretch
and rotation.
 Polar decomposition theorem

right Cauchy stretch tensor (stretch is the

ratio of the finallength to the original length)
orthogonal rotation tensor,

V the symmetric left Cauchy stretch tensor,

describes a pure stretch deformation in which there are three mutually

perpendicular directions along which the material element dX stretches
(i.e., elongates or compresses) but does not rotate.

• Also the role of R in R · U · dX is to rotate the stretched element.

 Compatibility equations
•The task of computing strains (infinitesimal or finite) from a given displacement field is a
straightforward exercise.
•However, sometimes we face the problem of finding the displacements from a given
strain field.
•This is not so straightforward…
…because there are six independent partial differential equations (i.e., strain-
displacement relations) for only three unknown displacements, which would in general
overdetermine the solution.

• We will have to use some conditions, known as St. Venant’s compatibility equations,
that ensure the computation of unique displacement field from a given strain field.

The conditions are valid for infinitesimal strains. For finite strains, the same steps may
be followed, but the process is so difficult.
Compatibility equations

Strain compatibility
condition among the
three strains for a two-
dimensional case

using index
notation
 Change of Observer: Material Frame Indifference

In the analytical description of physical events, the following two requirements must be
followed:

1. Invariance of the equations with respect to stationary coordinate frames of reference.

2. Invariance of the equations with respect to frames of reference that move in arbitrary
relative motion.

•The first requirement is readily met by expressing the equations in vector/tensor form,
which is invariant.

•The assertion that an equation is in “invariant form” refers to the vector form that is
independent of the choice of a coordinate system.

•The second requirement is that the invariance property holds for reference frames (or
observers) moving arbitrarily with respect to each other. This requirement is dictated by
the need for forces to be the same as measured by all observers irrespective of their
relative motions.