Equivalent theorem of Hellinger-Reissner and Hu-Washizu variational principles

Abstract

The paper has proved that Hellinger-Reissner and Hu-Washizu variational principles are but equivalent principles in elasticity by following three ways: 1) Lagrange multiplier method. The paper points out that only a new independent variable can be introduced when one constraint equation has been eliminated by one Lagrange multiplier, which must be expressed as a function of the original variable(s) and/or the new introduced variable after identification. In using Lagrange multiplier method to deduce Hu-Washizu principle from the minimum potential energy principle, which has only one kind of independent variable namely displacement, by eliminating the constraint equations of stress-displacement relations, one can only obtain a principle with two kinds of variables namely displacement and stress; 2) involutory transformation, with such method Hu-Washizu variational principle can be deduce directly from the Hellinger-Reissner variational principle under the same variational constraints of stress-strain relation, and vice verse; 3)semi-inverse method, by which both of the above variational principles can be deduced from the minimum potential energy principle with the same variational constraints. So the three kinds of variational functions in Hu-Washizu variational principle are not independent to each other, the stress-strain relationships are still its constraint conditions.