Necessary conditions at the boundary for minimizers in incompressible finite elasticity (Q2499334)

The paper considers the incompressible elasticity and the associated constrained minimization problem. The body \(B \subset \mathbb R^3\) (an open, bounded and connected region of space occupied by an elastic incompressible body) is composed of an incompressible finitely elastic material. Its response is characterized by a frame-indifferent map \(W(\cdot , \cdot): D \times B \rightarrow \mathbb{R}\), its stored energy function. The domain \(D\) is defined as \(D= \{\mathbf{F } \in \text{Lin}\mid \det\mathbf{ F}=1\}\). The function \(W(\cdot , \cdot)\) is assumed to be smooth function of its arguments, and to possess a smooth extension to all of \(\text{Lin} \times B\), with which it is henceforth identified. Its gradients with respect to \( \mathbf{F}\) will thus be identified with those of the extended function. This can be done since both maps have the same action on the tangent space to the constraint-manifold. The minimization problem is proposed in the form \(\min\{\mathcal{F}[\chi]\), \(\chi \in \mathcal{A}\}\). Here, the energy-functional \(\mathcal{F}[\cdot]\) for body B, subject to displacement data on \((\partial_1 \mathbf{B})\) and to dead-load traction data \(\mathbf{t}\) on \((\partial_2 \mathbf{B})\), is \(\mathcal{F}[\chi]:= \int_B \{ W(\nabla_\chi (\mathbf{x}), \mathbf{x})\}\,dV- \int_{\partial_2 \mathbf{B}} \{\mathbf{t}\cdot\chi \}\,dA\), and the domain of \(\mathcal{F}([\cdot])\) is \(\mathcal{A}:=\{ \chi \in C^{1,\rho}(\overline{B}, \mathbb R^3)| \det(\nabla_\chi)\equiv 1\), \(\chi\) is 1-1, \(\chi| _{(\partial_1 \mathbf{B}})=\chi_0\}\). The author concerns oneself only with necessary conditions for minimizers. All of the conclusions carry over to the more general situation in which the boundary is piece-wise smooth, provided the boundary point under consideration is a point of smoothness. The only change required for this case is a redefinition of the domain \(\mathcal{A}\) of \(\mathcal{F}[\cdot]\). The main result: new necessary conditions for energy-minimizing states of an incompressible elastic body are found. These conditions hold at boundary points at which dead-load traction data is prescribed. Precise proofs of propositions and theorems are presented. Finally, the author studies a particular example where the Agmon condition can be reduced to a simple algebraic inequality.