Stress-Relaxation in Incompressible Elastic Materials at Constant Deformation

Abstract

The mechanics of the finite deformation of incompressible isotropic ideal elastic materials has received a considerable amount of attention in recent years1. In the present paper, we shall discuss the mechanics of the finite deformation of in- compressible isotropic elastic materials which behave substantially as ideal elastic materials when subjected to deformations during a relatively short time interval (less than some time T, say,) but, if held in that state of deformation for times much greater than T, exhibit relaxation of the deforming forces. Such a material will be called a stress-relaxing elastic material It will be shown that many of the results of the theory of the finite deformation of incompressible isotropic ideal elastic materials apply, with slight modification, to stress-relaxing elastic materials.