Uniqueness in linear elastostatics for problems involving unbounded bodies

Abstract

The problem of the uniqueness of elastostatic solutions to various boundary value problems involving unbounded two- and three-dimensional bodies is considered. The general boundary value problem is first considered for anisotropic bodies on which the elasticity tensor is uniformly positive definite. The displacement problem is then considered for the cases where the body is homogeneous and isotropic and the elasticity tensor is strongly-elliptic. Finally, the traction problem on homogeneous, isotropic bodies is considered with fairly little restriction placed on the Lame moduli. In the first two cases no restriction is placed on the geometry of the body other than the normal assumptions allowing for the use of the divergence theorem. For the traction problem, however, it is assumed that one component of the outward normal to the boudary of the body almost never vanishes. In each case it is shown that the desired uniqueness results hold with fairly mild restrictions placed on the displacement or stress fields (depending on the problem) in a neighborhood of infinity. Where possible, the results are shown to hold even though the solutions may possess the sort of discontinuities and singularities commonly found in problems involving cracks, corners, and bonded interfaces.