Constructing free energies for materials with memory

Abstract

The free energy for most materials with memory is not unique. There is a convex set of free energy functionals with a minimum and a maximum element. Various functionals have been shown to have the properties of a free energy for materials with particular types of relaxation behaviour. Also, over the last decade or more, forms have been given for the minimum and related free energies. These are all quadratic functionals which yield linear memory terms in the constitutive equations for the stress. &nbsp A difficulty in constructing free energy functionals arises in making choices that ensure a non-negative quadratic form both for the free energy and for the rate of dissipation. We propose a technique which renders this task more straightforward. Instead of constructing the free energy and determining from this the rate of dissipation, which may not have the required non-negativity, the procedure is reversed, which guarantees a satisfactory free energy functional. &nbsp Certain results for quadratic functionals in the time and frequency domains are derived, providing a platform for this alternative approach, which produces new free energies, including a family of functionals that are generalizations of the minimum and related free energies.