Modelling of Electro-Viscoelastic Materials through Rate Equations.

Models of dielectric solids subject to large deformations are established by following a thermodynamic approach. The models are quite general in that they account for viscoelastic properties and allow electric and thermal conduction. A preliminary analysis is devoted to the selection of fields for the polarization and the electric field; the appropriate fields are required to comply with the balance of angular momentum and to enjoy the Euclidean invariance.

Thermodynamically-Consistent Modeling of Ferromagnetic Hysteresis.

Models of ferromagnetic hysteresis are established by following a thermodynamic approach. The class of constitutive properties is required to obey the second law, expressed by the Clausius-Duhem inequality, and the Euclidean invariance. While the second law states that the entropy production is non-negative for every admissible thermodynamic process, here the entropy production is viewed as a non-negative constitutive function.

A Phase-Field Approach to Continuum Damage Mechanics.

This paper develops a phase-field approach to describe the damage within continuum mechanics. The body is associated with the standard stresses and body forces of macroscopic character. As is the case in many contexts, the phase field is a scalar variable whose time rate is governed by a constitutive equation.

Magneto-Viscoelastic Materials: Memory Functionals and Rate Equations.

The properties of viscoelastic solids subject to a magnetic field are modelled within two thermodynamically consistent approaches that are typical of models with a non-instantaneous response. One is based on memory functionals: the reversible changes are described by the instantaneous response, while the dissipativity is expressed by the dependence on histories. The other approach involves objective rate equations.

Thermodynamic Restrictions in Linear Viscoelasticity.

The thermodynamic consistency of linear viscoelastic models is investigated. First, the classical Boltzmann law of stress-strain is considered. The kernel (Boltzmann function) is shown to be consistent only if the half-range sine transform is negative definite.

Nonlinear Models of Thermo-Viscoelastic Materials.

The paper develops a general scheme for viscoelastic materials, where the constitutive properties are described by means of measures of strain, stress, heat flux, and their time derivatives. The constitutive functions are required to be consistent with the second law of thermodynamics. Indeed, a new view is associated with the second law: the non-negative expression of the entropy production is set equal to a further constitutive function.