Hypertractions and hyperstresses convey the same mechanical information (Q989989)

The authors show how to apply a generalized version of the standard virtual work principle, in addition to bulk and boundary balances, in order to establish a one-to-one correspondence between surface and edge hypertractions and hyperstress fields in second-gradient continua. The authors provide a full set of representation formulae not only for tractions and hypertractions in terms of stresses and hyperstresses, but also, conversely, for stresses and hyperstresses in terms of diffused and concentrated tractions and hypertractions. Such representation formulae generalize the corresponding formulae for simple (first-gradient) materials. Because this work happens in a nonvariational setting, the results apply whatever the material response. The principle of virtual powers uses the edge tractions, both internal and external; without them, it would not be possible to arrive at the complete representation formula for hyperstress in terms of hypertractions. The authors give a new proof of the following fact in the theory of second-gradient materials: if edge tractions vanish, then the hyperstress takes a very special form described by a vector field.