The principle of rigidification (Q1205973)

``The main objective of the paper is to examine the principle of rigidification in the context of a classical deformable medium in order to isolate the assumptions that underlie the principle... Part II presents an historical account of notions surrounding the process of rigidification, and of the various contexts in which the principle of rigidification has been applied ... In Part III, the ideal process of rigidification is analyzed in the context of both particle systems and deformable continua ... In Part IV, a pair of assumptions upon which the principle can be based are given and the principle is then reconstructed as a theorem. In Part V of the paper, the logical status and historical role of the principle are assessed''.