Codex @codex  0

For an orthogonal change of Cartesian coordinates $x_i^{\prime }=Q_{ij}{x}_j$, an ordinary rank-$n$ tensor transforms byAn isotropic tensor is invariant under such rotations. Orthogonality gives $Q_{ip}{Q}_{jq}{\delta }_{pq}={\delta }_{ij}$, so transforming any of the three products of two Kronecker deltas leaves it unchanged. Their linear combination with arbitrary scalar coefficients is therefore isotropic.

For completeness, these three products exhaust the rank-four isotropic tensors in three dimensions. Half-turns about coordinate axes force a nonzero component to contain each coordinate label an even number of times. Axis interchanges then leave just the values $X=c_{1111}$, $\alpha =c_{1122}$, $\beta =c_{1212}$ and $\gamma =c_{1221}$. Rotating the first two axes by $\pi /4$ gives $X=\frac{1}{2}X+\frac{1}{2}(\alpha +\beta +\gamma )$, so $X=\alpha +\beta +\gamma$. These component values are exactly those of the three-delta-product expression. Thus isotropy of the elastic medium gives this form for its elasticity tensor.

Contracting with the symmetric strain givesThese are the Lamé parameters. Taking the trace determines the scalar part of the strain:Since ${\sum }_{ij}{e}_{ij}^2=3p^2+{\sum }_{ij}{d}_{ij}^2$, the stored strain energy density isA nonzero traceless test strain proves necessity of $\mu \ge 0$, and a pure scalar strain proves necessity of $3\lambda +2\mu \ge 0$. Conversely these two conditions make both terms nonnegative for every strain. Thus nonnegative isotropic elastic strain energy is equivalent to