Formulation of a Unified Constitutive Theory of Elastic-Viscoplastic Behavior

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of materials is an essential component of technology which has received considerable attention over many years. Of particular interest is the response of materials to mechanical and thermal loadings, the influence of environmental factors, and the conditions and mechanisms of failure. The terms “constitutive equations” and “material modelling” are usually applied to the analytical representation of the material response characteristics prior to total failure. There have been considerable advances on this subject in recent years due to better understanding of the physics of deformation and the advent of efficient computational capability which enables solution of complicated equations.