Constitutive equation for a class of isotropic, perfectly elastic solids using a new measure of finite strain and corresponding stress

Abstract

The definition of a measure of strain, referred to as the bi-configuration strain tensor, centres on the difference between the left Cauchy-Green deformation tensor and its inverse. A new measure of stress, coined the bi-configuration stress tensor, has been defined. This measure of stress refers the traction in the current configuration jointly to the referential and spatial configurations, that is, to an effective element of area identified as an element of bi-configuration area. The stress and strain tensors are assumed to be constitutively related by a finite strain form of a generalised Hooke's law. The predictions obtained from the proposed constitutive equation are compared with the observed mechanical behaviour of various test materials. Comparison with experiment centres on biaxial stress measurements in various simple modes of deformation identified by way of a generalised stress-strain relation. The predictions from the proposed constitutive theory are in good accord with the results of experiment.