Constitutive models for porous materials with evolving microstructure (Q1340780)

The paper is, in part, a review of earlier proposals and results (in particular, from homogenisation theory). The hurried reader may be disturbed by continuous references and qualifications which tend to mask the contribution of the authors. The reader who wants to enter the field will find useful a first appreciation of about 50 papers cited. A strong plea is made for a theory which accounts for the consequences of profound changes in shape and volume fraction of pores (even their coalescence) under load. However, attention is then centred on (and numerical results are shown about) cases where the plastic core with an initial uniform distribution of coaxial ellipsoidal voids is subject to loads which may change only aspect ratios of the ellipsoids and total void fraction. Even within this structure hardening/softening effects come clearly in evidence.