Past exam of the solid mechanics course of the University of Oxford / 2007 / 1

We first derive the stress and energy facts used in both parts. The Cauchy traction $s=Tn$ is force per unit area in the deformed configuration. The first Piola-Kirchhoff traction $s_R=T_{R}N$ is force per unit reference area. Their force vectors are measured in the same spatial coordinates, but the area measures and the normals used to specify the surface are different.

Parametrize a reference surface by $x=x(u,v)$. Its oriented area vector is $(x_u\times x_v)dudv$. Under deformation, the two tangents become $F{x}_u,F{x}_v$. The cross-product identitytherefore proves Nanson's formula $nda=J{F}^{-T}NdA$. Equality of the physical force on corresponding surface patches now givesSince this holds for every reference normal,The first Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor is generally not symmetric, whereas the Cauchy stress tensor is symmetric in the absence of couple stresses.

For the stated energy on orientation-preserving gradients, differentiation givesA stress-free state satisfies $F{F}^T=J^{-1}I$. Taking determinants yields $J^2=J^{-3}$, so $J=1$ and $F{F}^T=I$: precisely $F\in SO(3)$. These states are also the global energy minimizers. If $v_i>0$ are the singular values, the arithmetic-geometric mean inequality gives $|F{|}^2\ge 3J^{2/3}$, with equality only when the singular values are equal. The function $3J^{2/3}/2+J^{-1}$ decreases up to $J=1$ and increases thereafter, with minimum $5/2$. Thus $W\ge 5\mu /2$, with equality precisely at rotations. A constant shift of the energy can set this minimum to zero without changing the stress.

For the given simple shear,For a unit normal $N$, $|T_{R}N{|}^2={\mu }^2(N_1^2+N_2^2)={\mu }^2(1-N_3^2)$. Hence every reference plane whose normal lies in the $e_1,e_2$ plane is maximizing:There is a family of maximizing planes, rather than one distinguished normal.

Using $J=1$ and the preceding first Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor,Its eigenvalues are $\mu (1+\sqrt{5})/2$, $\mu (1-\sqrt{5})/2$, and zero. Because it is symmetric, its largest traction magnitude on a unit spatial normal is the largest absolute eigenvalue. Put $\phi =(1+\sqrt{5})/2$. The positive eigenvalue has the strictly largest modulus, with normalThe question asks for the plane in the reference configuration, so this spatial normal must be pulled back. Nanson's formula gives $N$ parallel to $F^{T}n$, andTherefore the required plane and maximum areEither sign of its unit normal describes the same plane. Maximizing over reference normals is equivalent to maximizing over spatial normals because the map $N\mapsto F^{-T}N/|F^{-T}N|$ is a bijection of unit normals.