Advances in Multifield Theories for Continua with Substructure

Book excerpt: Toachieve design, implementation,and servicing ofcomplex systems and struc tures in an efficient and cost-effective way,a deeper knowledge and understanding of the subtle cast and detailed evolution of materials is needed. The analysis in demand borders with the molecular and atomic one, spanning all the way down from classical continua. The study of the behavior of complex materials in sophisticated devices also opens intricate questions about the applicability of primary axioms ofcontinuum mechanics such as the ultimate nature of the material element itselfand the possibility ofidentifying itperfectly. So it is necessary to develop tools that allow usto formulate both theoretical models and methods of numerical approximation for the analysis of material substructures. Multifield theories in continuum mechanics, which bridge classical materials science and modern continuum mechanics, provide precisely these tools. Multifield theories not only address problems of material substructures, but also encompass well-recognized approaches to the study of soft condensed matter and allow one to model disparate conditions in various states ofmatter. However, research inmultifield theories is vast, and there is little in the way of a comprehensive distillation of the subject from an engineer's perspective. Therefore, the papers in the present volume, 1 which grew out of our experience as editors for an engineeringjournal, tackle some fundamental questions,suggest solutions of concrete problems, and strive to interpret a host of experimental evidence. In this spirit, each of the authors has contributed original results having in mind their wider applicability.