Hodge duality and continuum theory of defects

Abstract

Dual material space-time with defect field is presented in the language of differential forms: one is the strain space-time whose basic equation is the continuity equation for the dislocation 2-form; the other is the stress space-time whose basic equation is the continuity equation for the couple-stress and angular momentum 2-form. Continuity and kinematic equations in each space can be derived by the transformation from p-form to (p + 1)-form. Moreover, several constitutive equations can be recognized as the transformation between the p-form of the strain space-time and the (4-p)-form of the stress space-time. These kinematic, continuity and constitutive equations can be interpreted geometrically as Cartan structure equations, Bianchi identities and Hodge duality transformations, respectively.