On the dissipation due to wave ringing in nonelliptic elastic materials (Q1313233)

A one-dimensional initial-boundary value problem of nonlinear isothermal elastodynamics for a finite layer \((0<x<h)\) underlying simple shear motions and a change of phase is studied. It is assumed that the shear stress is a nonlinear nonconvex function of the strain, and at time \(t=0\) there exists a single phase boundary \(x=s_ 0<h\) is an energy-minimal equilibrium configuration separating material in a low constant strain phase from material in a high constant strain phase. Moreover, the initial velocity vanishes in the layer, the boundary \(x=0\) is subject to a rectangular velocity pulse, and the boundary \(x=h\) is maintained fixed over the time axis. As a result, an initial acoustic pulse travels with a constant speed and encounters the initially stationary phase boundary \(x=s_ 0\). The ensuing interaction generates additional acoustic pulses which in turn lead to future interactions. The authors study the dynamic encounter problem by defining ``maximally dissipative encounters'', ``maximal energy loss encounters'', and a chain of such encounters. They prove that under suitable restrictions on the data an energy-minimal two- phase initial equilibrium state subject to a change in the boundary load, will, under both the maximal energy loss encounter chain and the maximally dissipative encounter chain, dissipate the amount of energy needed for the dynamical system to attain a new energy-minimal equilibrium state associated with the final value of load. Numerical examples illustrating behavior of the two encounter chains for various material parameters and initial data are included.