Nonlinear continuum mechanics and large inelastic deformations. (Q1958411)

This voluminous book describes nonlinear mechanics from the very basics in a profound way, however without an introduction to tensor algebra and analysis, as usual in such kind of books, not even a remark on the tensor notation can be found. The book is based on lectures which the author gave for many years at Moscow Baumann State Technical University. It starts with the kinematics of large deformations, continues with the mechanical and thermodynamical balances, and comes in the second part to constitutive modelling and its specifications within elasticity, viscoelasticity (rate and integral type models), and plasticity. Each of these chapters ends with applications of these material models to simple problems like bars or pipes and even relates the results to experimental findings. There are not many books which cover this large range of nonlinear mechanics. One reason is surely that finite plasticity in particular cannot yet be considered as a mature textbook science. Books which are comparable in content and axiomatic style are perhaps those by \textit{J. Lubliner} [Plasticity theory. Reprint of the 1990 original ed. Dover Books on Engineering. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. xiv (2008; Zbl 1201.74002)], \textit{S. Nemat-Nasser} [Plasticity. A treatise on finite deformation of heterogeneous inelastic materials. Reprint of the 2004 hardback ed. Cambridge University Press (2009; Zbl 1154.74004)], and \textit{A. Bertram} [Elasticity and plasticity of large deformations: an introduction. Berlin: Springer. ixv (2005; Zbl 1189.74002)], non of which has been quoted by Dimitrienko. In general, his references (only 60) are rather poor, and he does not cite much of the origins of this subject. There is a lot of new and interesting material in this book. Unfortunately, the author has a rather individualistic style and notation, so that it is not always easy to follow his ideas. As an example, elasticity does not exist in the index. Dimitrienko calls such materials ideal. Although he uses a direct tensor notation, vector bases seem to play an important role in his thinking.