On the representation of basic laws of continuum mechanics by \(4\times 4\) tensors (Q1977294)

This short note focuses on the discussion of links that can be established between a) the balance equation of material momentum and the conservation of energy, and b) the equation of motion and the conservation of mass. The first link is a well-known result which is established in the context of classical field theories (cf. \textit{P. M. Morse} and \textit{H. Feshbach} [Methods of theoretical physics. Vol. I. II. (Internat. series in pure and applied physics). New York: McGrawHill Book Co. XL (1953; Zbl 0051.40603)]). The authors derive balance/conservation laws from variational principles. Time is introduced as an additional variable, and a \(4\times 4\) matrix, known as the energy-momentum-tensor, is constructed. The \(3\times 3\) sub-matrix in the upper left corner and the element in the lower right corner are identified with Eshelby tensor and with Hamiltonian, respectively. The remaining entries can be viewed as a ``column'' and a ``row'' vector called the field intensity and the field momentum density, respectively. In the absence of source terms, the application of divergence operator to the energy-momentum tensor yields the balance between net material force and time rate of change of field momentum density, as well as the principle of energy conservation. It is then shown that one succeeds in constructing a similar link (see b) above) between the conservation of mass and the equations of motion, which is the central achievement of this paper. Although the formulas are -- for illustrative purposes -- specified for a linearly elastic material, the emphasis is placed on structural similarities observed in the representation/derivation of conservation laws of continuum mechanics.