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An elastic deformation is reversible: after removal of the deforming loads the material returns to its reference state, and its instantaneous stress is determined by its current deformation rather than a plastic or viscous history. In the infinitesimal approximation the displacement field $u_i$ gives the infinitesimal strain tensor $e_{ij}=(u_{i,j}+u_{j,i})/2$. The Cauchy stress tensor is defined by traction $t_i={\sigma }_{ij}{n}_j$ on a plane of unit normal $\mathbf{n}$; absence of body couples makes ${\sigma }_{ij}={\sigma }_{ji}$.

Let $\mathcal{E}(e)$ be the recoverable elastic energy per unit mass. The local mechanical power per unit volume isbecause the symmetric Cauchy stress tensor annihilates the antisymmetric part of the velocity gradient. Conservation of energy during the deformation gives $\rho \dot{\mathcal{E}}={\sigma }_{ij}{\dot{e}}_{ij}$. Since $\dot{\mathcal{E}}=(\partial \mathcal{E}/\partial e_{ij}){\dot{e}}_{ij}$ for arbitrary symmetric strain rates,Here the derivative is the gradient on the space of symmetric tensors, with the double-contraction inner product. This convention accounts for the two occurrences of each off-diagonal entry; treating six independent coordinates without their corresponding factors would give an erroneous factor of two in shear components.

Take a stress-free reference state of mass density ${\rho }_0$. The Taylor series of the elastic energy starts quadratically:Using $\rho ={\rho }_0+O(|e|)$ gives ${\sigma }_{ij}=c_{ijkl}{e}_{kl}+O(|e{|}^2)$, the relation of linear elasticity. If the reference state has initial stress, the first-order expansion also retains that constant stress. Symmetry of stress and strain gives the minor symmetries $c_{ijkl}=c_{jikl}=c_{ijlk}$, while equality of the mixed second derivatives of elastic energy gives the major symmetry $c_{ijkl}=c_{klij}$. Thus the elastic stiffness tensor is a symmetric map on a six-dimensional strain space: there are $6\cdot 7/2=21$ independent coefficients.

For twofold elastic symmetry, choose the symmetry axis as $x_3$. Rotation through $\pi$ is $Q=\mathrm{diag}(-1,-1,1)$, and transforms the infinitesimal strain tensor into $Qe{Q}^T$. Components $e_{11},e_{22},e_{33},e_{12}$ are even and $e_{23},e_{13}$ are odd. Invariance of elastic energy excludes every coupling between these parity classes. In the engineering strain ordering $(e_{11},e_{22},e_{33},2e_{23},2e_{13},2e_{12})$, with corresponding stress ordering $({\sigma }_{11},{\sigma }_{22},{\sigma }_{33},{\sigma }_{23},{\sigma }_{13},{\sigma }_{12})$, the symmetric stiffness matrix has the formIts symmetric even block has ten independent entries and its symmetric odd block has three. Hence a twofold axis leaves $13$ independent coefficients. No invariance under other rotation angles has been assumed.

Elasticity describes recoverable deformation. For small displacements $\mathbf{u}(\mathbf{x})$, the infinitesimal strain tensor is the symmetric part of the displacement gradient,Its diagonal entries describe extension, while its off-diagonal entries describe shear. The engineering shear strain is ${\gamma }_{xy}=2{ϵ}_{xy}$; the antisymmetric part of the displacement gradient is a small rigid rotation, not elastic strain.

The stress tensor specifies the force per unit area on each oriented plane: $\mathbf{t}(\hat{\mathbf{n}})=\mathbf{\sigma }\hat{\mathbf{n}}$. Positive normal stress is tensile in the convention used here; tangential traction gives shear stress. In the absence of internal couples, angular-momentum balance makes the stress tensor symmetric. Force balance gives $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{\sigma }+\mathbf{f}=0$ in static equilibrium, where $\mathbf{f}$ is body force per unit volume.

Linear elasticity relates stress and strain. A homogeneous isotropic solid needs two independent elastic constants:Here $G$ is the shear modulus and $\lambda$ is the other Lamé parameter. For uniaxial loading, Young's modulus is $E={\sigma }_{xx}/{ϵ}_{xx}$, with lateral contraction described by Poisson's ratio $\nu =-{ϵ}_{yy}/{ϵ}_{xx}$. The bulk modulus is $K=-p/(\Delta V/V)$ for a small hydrostatic compression. The relations between these constants areStable isotropic elastic strain energy density requires $G>0$ and $K>0$, implying $-1<\nu <1/2$. The incompressible limit is approached as $\nu \to 1/2$. Anisotropic crystals generally need more constants; the isotropic relations should not be imposed on arbitrary directions in such a crystal.

The elastic energy density is $w=\mathbf{\sigma }:\mathbf{ϵ}/2$. In the isotropic linear model this becomes $\lambda (\mathrm{tr}\mathbf{ϵ}{)}^2/2+G\mathbf{ϵ}:\mathbf{ϵ}$. The quadratic form explains why reversible loading stores energy and unloading can return it, unlike plastic deformation or a dissipative hysteresis cycle.

For a slender beam described by the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation, plane sections approximately remain plane. A fibre a distance $y$ from the neutral axis has axial strain $-y\kappa$, where $\kappa$ is curvature, and stress $-Ey\kappa$. Integrating its moment about the neutral axis gives, with consistent signs,$I_A$ is a second moment of area, with units of length to the fourth power; it is not a mass moment of inertia. For a rectangular section of width $b$ and thickness $h$, $I_A=b{h}^3/12$, explaining the strong dependence of bending stiffness on thickness. For small transverse deflection $w(x)$, curvature is approximately $w^{\prime \prime }$, and the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation is $E{I}_A{w}^{\prime \prime \prime \prime }=q(x)$ with a suitable load-sign convention. A cantilever of length $\ell$ under end load $F$ has tip deflection $F{\ell }^3/(3E{I}_A)$ and largest bending stress of magnitude $F\ell c/I_A$, where $c$ is the furthest distance from the neutral axis.

In torsion of a solid circular shaft, a cross-section rotated by angle $\theta (x)$ has shear strain $r{\theta }^{\prime }(x)$. ThereforeHere $J$ is the polar second moment of area. A uniform shaft of length $\ell$ under constant torque twists by $\mathcal{T}\ell /(GJ)$, and its largest shear stress is $\mathcal{T}a/J$. Noncircular sections can warp, so replacing their torsional stiffness by $G$ times their polar area moment is not generally valid. Both bending and torsion formulas presume small, elastic deformations; exceeding the elastic limit can produce permanent deformation or fracture.

The displacement field is $u(x)=y(x)-x$, and its gradient is $Du=Dy-I$. Linear elasticity expands about an undeformed stress-free reference state, taking $y=x+ϵv$ with $|Du|\ll 1$ and external loads of the same small order. A rigid translation need not itself be small; it is the deformation gradient that controls the infinitesimal strain tensor.

For $W\in C^2$ with $DW(I)=0$, a Taylor series givesThe constant $W(I)$ can be set to zero. The tensor $\mathbb{A}$ is the elasticity tensor. Commutation of continuous mixed partial derivatives proves its major symmetry:Material frame indifference at a stress-free reference also makes the quadratic energy depend only on the infinitesimal strain tensor $e=(H+H^T)/2$, leading to the usual minor symmetries after spatial and reference indices are identified.

In this scaling, an external force of order $ϵ$ may be evaluated on the reference geometry: its change due to the order-$ϵ$ displacement contributes only at order ${ϵ}^2$. Thus the leading forces are fixed dead loads. Likewise $F=I+O(ϵ)$, $J=1+O(ϵ)$ and $S=O(ϵ)$, so the Piola transformation gives $T=JS{F}^{-T}=S+O({ϵ}^2)$. Hence Cauchy and first Piola stresses agree to linear order. This reasoning uses the usual small-load, stress-free linearization; an order-one prestress or leading follower-load effect requires a different expansion.

A perfectly bonded elastic interface has continuous displacement field and continuous traction, with the same chosen normal on both sides. For piecewise affine displacement fields, the difference of their gradients annihilates every tangential vector, and hence has the form $a\otimes n$. Their infinitesimal strain tensors differ by $\mathrm{sym}(a\otimes n)$.

In small-strain elastoplasticity, total infinitesimal strain tensor splits into an elastic part and a generally irreversible plastic part. The elastic constitutive equation determines stress from $e^{\mathrm{e}}$, while a yield condition and a plastic flow law determine the evolution of $e^{\mathrm{p}}$. Removing external load need not remove plastic strain, so using Hooke's law on total strain after yielding is insufficient.

For a infinitesimal strain tensor $e=(\nabla u+\nabla u^T)/2$, commuting displacement derivatives gives the symmetric incompatibility tensor $C=0$. Its six component equations are the Saint-Venant compatibility equations. They satisfy three differential identities because ${\partial }_i{\partial }_k$ is symmetric while ${ϵ}_{ik\ell }$ is antisymmetric. Thus there are three independent differential constraints, although keeping all six equations is a coordinate-symmetric way to state them. At a nonzero Fourier wavevector along the third axis the constrained components are $e_{11},e_{22},e_{12}$, while $e_{13},e_{23},e_{33}$ arise from the three displacement components. On a simply connected region compatibility gives local integrability up to a rigid motion; on a multiply connected region circulation conditions must also be imposed.

Consider a mechanically free isotropic model of a saturated ferromagnet, at fixed temperature and fixed magnitude of magnetization. Let $\mathbf{m}=\mathbf{M}/M_s$ be a unit vector, where $M_s$ is the saturation magnetization. The magnetostrictive strain is an infinitesimal strain tensor, measured relative to a reference with randomly oriented magnetic domains. This reference convention matters: it sets the orientational average of the preferred strain to zero. Define ${\lambda }_s$, the saturation magnetostriction, as the longitudinal relative length change in this model.

Rotational symmetry permits a symmetric second-rank tensor made from $\mathbf{m}$ of the form $a{\delta }_{ij}+b{m}_i{m}_j$, where ${\delta }_{ij}$ is the Kronecker delta. If we restrict attention to a change of shape with zero first-order volume change, its trace gives $3a+b=0$. Requiring the longitudinal component to equal ${\lambda }_s$ gives $a+b={\lambda }_s$. HenceThe tensor product $\mathbf{m}\otimes \mathbf{m}$ is symmetric and unchanged under $\mathbf{m}\mapsto -\mathbf{m}$. It uses two copies of the magnetic direction, so the third-rank isotropic tensor obstruction in isotropic linear magnetostriction vanishes does not apply. More generally, a small-magnetization expansion can contain $a{M}^2{\delta }_{ij}+b{M}_i{M}_j$; isotropy alone does not require its trace to vanish. The displayed saturated formula isolates the volume-preserving orientational contribution, rather than asserting that every material has zero volume magnetostriction.

Along a measuring unit vector $\mathbf{n}$, with $\mathbf{n}\cdot \mathbf{m}=\cos \theta$, the fractional length change isFor a stipulated ${\lambda }_s=20\times 10^{-6}$ and reference length $L=100\mathrm{mm}$, alignment gives $+2\mu \mathrm{m}$ and a perpendicular orientation gives $-1\mu \mathrm{m}$. Rotating from perpendicular to parallel therefore changes the length by $3\mu \mathrm{m}$, even though the saturated longitudinal value relative to the random reference is $2\mu \mathrm{m}$. A negative ${\lambda }_s$ reverses these elongation and contraction signs.

The eigenvalues of this infinitesimal strain tensor are ${\lambda }_s,-{\lambda }_s/2,-{\lambda }_s/2$, so $\Delta V/V=\mathrm{tr}{\epsilon }^{\mathrm{mag}}=0$ to first order. This is not exact finite incompressibility: using the illustrative deformation gradient $F=I+{\epsilon }^{\mathrm{mag}}$ givesA finite-deformation law would need higher-order corrections if exact volume conservation were required.

The first-order relative change of volume for a small displacement field. It is the trace of the infinitesimal strain tensor. For a radial displacement field $u(r){\mathbf{e}}_r$ in spherical coordinates, $e=u^{\prime }+2u/r$.