Constitutive equation for a class of non-simple elastic materials

Abstract

Initial yield is the upper limit of the purely elastic deformation behaviour of an elasticplastic solid. Thus the choice of the constitutive equation describing the purely elastic deformation behaviour determines the initial yield function. The constitutive equation of a simple elastic material is only compatible with von Mises yield criterion, a conclusion which applies also to the classical infinitesimal theory. A more general form of constitutive equation for an elastic material is formulated by way of the concept of a stress loading function, the proposed constitutive equation being quadratic in the stress. The two loading coefficients associated with the stress loading function are assumed to be deriveable from a generalised isotropic yield criterion which is now assumed to hold over the entire range of deformation, and in this context is referred to as the stress intensity function. The proposed constitutive equation has the same representation in terms of the left Cauchy-Green deformation tensor as that for a simple elastic material. Using the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, this representation is rearranged and expressed in terms of a measure of finite strain which is defined to be one quarter of the difference between the left Cauchy-Green deformation tensor and its inverse. In this way the strain properties of the proposed constitutive equation are formulated by way of the concept of a strain response function. The three response coefficients associated with the strain response function are assumed to be deriveable from a generalised, isotropic, strain intensity function. The predictions of the proposed constitutive equation are considered in the context of the combined stressing of a thin sheet of incompressible material. In this way, it is shown that the proposed constitutive equation is not limited in the same way as the constitutive equation of a simple elastic material.