Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century a Concise Historical Perspective Solid Mechanics and Its Applications

Solid Mechanics and Its Applications Series Editor: G.M.L. Gladwell Gérard A. Maugin Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century A Concise Historical Perspective Solid Mechanics and Its Applications Volume 196 Series Editor G. M. L. Gladwell Department of Civil Engineering University of Waterloo Waterloo, ON Canada For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/6557 Aims and Scope of the Series The fundamental questions arising in mechanics are: Why?, How?, and How much? The aim of this series is to provide lucid accounts written by authoritative researchers giving vision and insight in answering these questions on the subject of mechanics as it relates to solids. The scope of the series covers the entire spectrum of solid mechanics. Thus it includes the foundation of mechanics; variational formulations; computational mechanics; statics, kinematics and dynamics of rigid and elastic bodies: vibrations of solids and structures; dynamical systems and chaos; the theories of elasticity, plasticity and viscoelasticity; composite materials; rods, beams, shells and membranes; structural control and stability; soils, rocks and geomechanics; fracture; tribology; experimental mechanics; biomechanics and machine design. The median level of presentation is the first year graduate student. Some texts are monographs defining the current state of the field; others are accessible to final year undergraduates; but essentially the emphasis is on readability and clarity. Gérard A. Maugin Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century A Concise Historical Perspective 123 Gérard A. Maugin Institut Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris Cedex 05 France ISSN 0925-0042 ISBN 978-94-007-6352-4 ISBN 978-94-007-6353-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6353-1 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013931199 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science?Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface What is This Book About? ‘‘You reasoned it out beautifully… It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true’’ (Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes) The proposed conspectus of the development of continuum mechanics throughout the twentieth century seems to be unique in its scope and ambition. Although reminding the reader of the early developments of the discipline with the magisterial works of our elders (from Newton to the late nineteenth century or more precisely the advent of the First World War), the book concentrates on the twentieth century, and more particularly on its second half, as witnessed by the author who has lived directly through these developments, and has humbly tried to contribute to them. But the main reason for this delineation is that the post World- War Two period saw an incredible burgeoning and progress in the enlargement of the field, its mathematization and its rational organization, i.e., both in its objec- tives and methods, to the benefit of fruitful applications to the mechanics of large classes of materials and in reciprocal interaction with other fields. This has been a fruitful period that saw a consolidation of analytical works, and a development of new aspects, both in modeling and mathematical approach. This is placed in a context where the marked interest of the author for the history of Science, for Epistemology, and for People is obvious, having been much influenced by Pierre Duhem and Clifford Truesdell. Accordingly, this is also a study about individuals and scientific schools and institutions in an evolving social and historical context that experienced tragic events. We hope the book succeeds to present with objectivity a balanced appraisal of contributions from various parts of the world. The chosen approach emphasizes the importance of the role played by (i) organized professional groups, e.g., the A.S.M.E with its specific spirit in the v vi Preface USA, (ii) traditional strongholds such as the University of Cambridge in the UK or the Technical University of Hannover in Germany, (iii) remarkable individuals such as Clifford Truesdell in the USA, or Paul Germain in France, or still Leonid Sedov in the Soviet Union, and others in Poland, Germany, and Japan, and (iv) a well-structured network of teaching institutions and research units whether in countries that inherited from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or in the original system of ‘‘grandes écoles’’ in France and their copies all over the world, or the Academies of Sciences in formerly communist-led countries such as the Soviet Union. That is, the development of modern continuum mechanics; in spite of its technical subtleties (effects of nonlinearity, thermodynamic irreversibility, microstructure, and singularities) that are carefully scrutinized, is shown to take place within a true human background with its grandeurs and pettiness, and not as a purely abstract teleological evolution. This permeates an exposition which is, therefore, vivid and bears witness of an epoch making process, to which the author contributes both his technical expertize and his international experience. In order to fulfil this ambitious project and to satisfy the various needs of potential readers, a three-way strategy has been implemented. After two pre- liminary chapters that take the reader to post World War I and underline the newly raised technical questions and the ongoing general reflections on the bases of continuum mechanics, three chapters are devoted to: (i) new progress in nonlinear aspects (in both elastic solids and the newly formulated rheology of non-Newto- nian fluids), (ii) a specific spirit distilled to continuum mechanics by the influential organized group represented by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (in particular with works in plasticity but also in coupled fields), and (iii) the aerial view of continuum mechanics introduced by the Truesdell School with its efforts at a true rationalization and axiomatization, as well as its construct of an efficient thermomechanics, and its positioning in a real historical perspective. The second strategic line is implemented in the next six chapters where a more per-country or regional view has been chosen for reasons that should be clear enough. This is due to the existence—still true at the time of most of the second half of the twentieth century—of national styles, peculiar teaching and research institutions inherited from the past, and the role played by some remarkable individuals. This is the case in the UK, France, Poland, and Germany. The rest of western and southern European contributions are described in one lengthy chapter together with some indications on some Asian countries. It is to repair an unjust too frequent belittling of the role played by the Soviet Union and Russia that a long chapter is devoted to them. This allows for a more balanced view than usually given. The third line consists in the deeper and more technical examination of four special avenues of developments which the author estimates to be most emblematic-and original-of the last 50 years and to which he can devote a more thoughtful approach having been much involved in these. They are: (i) the interaction between continuum mechanics and electromagnetism, (ii) the mechanics of generalized continua, (iii) the so-called configurational mechanics of continua, and (iv) relativistic continuum mechanics. These four avenues bring us Preface vii closer to other fields of physics in conjunction with typical twentieth century developments (exploitation of coupled fields, physical acoustics, solid-state physics, the ‘‘mechanics of materials’’, and relativistic physics). An epilogue providing a general summary and pointing to recent and future developments (going to smaller scales, influence of powerful computational means, and

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