Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 50 1 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
In the Voigt elastic approximation, every local strain is . The corresponding local stress is . Differentiating the averaged strain energy density under the integral givesThe uniform strain need not generate an equilibrated local stress; this calculation concerns the stated approximation, not an assertion that it solves the heterogeneous boundary problem.
For the Reuss elastic approximation, use the convex conjugateUnder differentiable strictly convex duality, the local strain produced by uniform stress is . Set . Averaging the local strains gives . At the maximizing stress in , the stationarity condition is precisely . ConsequentlyThus the derivative of each approximate energy is its own mean stress, includingFor positive linear elasticity, and , giving the useful check and . More general convex duality gives the same conjugacy relation with subgradients when differentiability or strict convexity is absent.
Reuss elastic approximation 2026-10-14
The Reuss elastic approximation assumes uniform stress. The local strain is the derivative of the convex conjugate ; its mean is . Under invertible differentiable duality, this mean determines . For positive linear elasticity, . Uniform stress is generally not accompanied by a compatible local displacement field, so this approximation is distinguished from an exact heterogeneous solution.