Mesomechanics of Continua and Revised Field Equations

Abstract

Since the motion of individual microelements can be expressed theoretically and since experimental observations are usually evaluated in terms of macroscopic quantities, a connection between the two descriptions becomes necessary in solid mechanics. For this purpose mesomechanics is introduced which is based on the notion of an intermediary domain referred to as a mesodomain. The mesodomain is interpreted as a volume that is much smaller than the macroscopic domain of the entire body but much larger than the microscopic domain of the material. Constitutive equations are widely studied mesoscopically. Moreover, the new balance equations are required and consequently, the field equations are revised to describe the precise behavior of the mesoscopic structure of materials.