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The concave biconjugate is an upper envelope of $F$, and equals $F$ for a proper closed concave function under the usual duality hypotheses. It equals $-(-F{)}^{\ast \ast }$ in terms of the ordinary biconjugate. If $e=D{F}_{\ast }(\tau )$, differentiability and concavity of $F_{\ast }$ imply $F_{\ast }(\tau )+F_{\ast \ast }(e)=\tau :e$. For a finite differentiable dual the equality follows because $\tau$ minimizes $s:e-F_{\ast }(s)$.

Let $u$ be the actual displacement field, let $u^{\prime }$ be an admissible trial displacement, and set $v=u^{\prime }-u$. On the displacement-prescribed part of the boundary, $v=0$. With actual stress $\sigma =D_{\epsilon }W(\epsilon )$, the supporting-plane inequality for the convex strain energy density givesBoth $\sigma$ and ${\sigma }_0$ satisfy static elastic equilibrium with the same body force, so $\nabla \cdot (\sigma -{\sigma }_0)=0$. On the traction-prescribed boundary their tractions agree. Since ${\epsilon }^{\prime }-\epsilon =\mathrm{sym}\nabla v$, integration by parts givesSubtracting the prescribed external-work representative proves the minimum potential energy principle in elasticity:Strict convexity gives uniqueness of the minimizing strain, although rigid displacements can remain when the boundary conditions allow them.

For the comparison bound, put $F(e,x)=W(e,x)-W_0(e)$ and use the lower conjugate, with its infimum sign convention,Its defining inequality is $F_{\ast }(\tau ,x)\le \tau :e-F(e,x)$, hence $W(e,x)\le W_0(e)+\tau :e-F_{\ast }(\tau ,x)$ for every $e$. Integrate this pointwise majorant for each compatible strain, then take the infimum over the same admissible set. This provesNo convexity of $F$ is used for this inequality. If $F_{\ast }(\tau ,x)=-\infty$, it yields only the extended-real upper bound $+\infty$. For example, $W_0=0$ and $W(e)=|e{|}^2/2$ give $F_{\ast }(\tau )=-\infty$ for every finite $\tau$. A useful finite bound requires a suitable comparison energy; choosing a sufficiently stiff quadratic comparison makes the usual excess energies concave. The derivative used below additionally presupposes finite differentiable duals, or an appropriate supergradient formulation.

Now normalize $|\Omega |=1$, take positive constant $C^0$, and write $F_r(e)=W_r(e)-e:C^{0}e/2$. For phasewise constant elastic polarization $\tau ={\sum }_r{\chi }_r{\tau }^r$, its lower conjugate contribution is constant within each phase. The remaining minimization isWrite the minimizing strain as $\hat{e}=E+\eta$, where $\eta$ comes from a zero-boundary displacement field. The static elastic equilibrium equation is $\nabla \cdot (C^0\eta +\tau )=0$, so the supplied elastic strain Green operator gives $\eta =-\Gamma \tau$. Its zero mean removes the cross term with the constant $E$. Using its reciprocity and projection property $\Gamma C^0\Gamma =\Gamma$, we obtainHere the brackets in the last two terms denote the spatial integral and tensor contraction, not just a phase average.

Let $c_r={\int }_{\Omega }{\chi }_r$. The zero output mean and reciprocity of $\Gamma$ imply that it annihilates constant elastic polarizations on either side. Thus subtracting $c_r$ and $c_s$ from the phase indicators does not change their bilinear integral. Define the fourth-order block tensorsConsequently $A_{rs}=A_{sr}^T$, ${\sum }_s{A}_{rs}=0$, andThese identities follow from reciprocity and ${\sum }_s{\chi }_s={\sum }_s{c}_s=1$; no phase independence assumption is needed. The phase polarization comparison bound, valid for every polarization with finite dual terms, is thereforeIn particular, it can be optimized over the phase elastic polarizations without changing the upper-bound direction.

To derive the final displayed form, impose the stationarity equations in the question. For $c_r>0$, put $e^r=D{F}_{r\ast }({\tau }^r)$; these are dual strains, initially distinct from the comparison solution's phase averages. Reciprocity of $A$ givesThus stationarity is exactlyThe comparison solution has phase meanso the dual strains become its phase means at stationarity. Multiplying the stationarity equations by ${\tau }^r$ and summing gives ${\sum }_{r,s}{\tau }^r:A_{rs}{\tau }^s={\sum }_r{c}_r{\tau }^r:(E-e^r)$.

For clarity, the concave biconjugate here uses another infimum: $F_{r\ast \ast }(e)={\inf }_s\{s:e-F_{r\ast }(s)\}$. The lower conjugate $F_{r\ast }$ is concave, since it is an infimum of affine functions. At a differentiable finite point, its supporting-plane inequality shows that $s={\tau }^r$ minimizes this last expression when $e=e^r$. HenceSubstitute both identities into $\mathcal{B}$ to obtainThis is the requested final bound with the accompanying phase equations. It remains valid at any well-defined stationary choice; asserting existence of such a differentiable choice for arbitrary $W_0$ would require extra hypotheses. Without stationarity, the earlier $\mathcal{B}(E,\tau )$ is the correct general bound. In the concave closed excess-energy case $F_{r\ast \ast }=F_r$; for general excess energies replacing the concave biconjugate by $F_r$ without proof would reverse the needed majorant logic.