On type-2 twins in crystals (Q1096442)

The author proposes an extension of results of \textit{J. L. Ericksen} [e.g. Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 72, 1-13 (1979; Zbl 0439.20031)] and \textit{M. E. Gurtin} [ibid. 84, 1-29 (1983; Zbl 0525.73054)] on twinning in elastic crystals. Ericksen considered an example arising in cubic-tetragonal phase transitions. Gurtin produced a compatibility theorem under the assumption that the material symmetry group \({\mathcal G}\) of the crystal be a subgroup of the orthogonal group. Roughly, the condition for twinning is \(QSF=FH\), where F is the deformation gradient, \(S=1+a\otimes n\) is a simple shear, Q is orthogonal and such that \(Q^ 2=1\), and H is an element of \({\mathcal G}\). When H is orthogonal, Gurtin showed that the condition above had two classes of solutions. Roughly, in the first class the axis of Q has the direction of n, whereas it has the direction of a in the second class. Here it is shown that, when H belongs to the group G proposed by Ericksen, and G contains nonorthogonal tensors, then the compatibility theorem holds if either \(H^ 2=1\) and Q is orthogonal, or Q satisfies in addition the condition \(Q^ 2=1\) and H has finite order. By an example it is shown that in the latter case the condition on the order of H is necessary. In the former case, Ericksen showed that the condition on H was also necessary. Lastly, the author shows that the two solutions for twinning under the aforementioned hypotheses are what crystallographers call conjugate twins.