Some remarks on the compressed matrix representation of symmetric second-order and fourth-order tensors (Q5930703)

The compressed matrix representation of symmetric second-order and fourth-order tensor is considered. A clarification is given on the supposed non-uniqueness on the basis of a six-dimensional vector space and the identification of various types of matrix representations as covariant, contravariant or mixed-variant coordinates in that space. The derivations for the unified explanation of the compressed matrix representation of symmetric second-order and fourth-order tensors are given. The results are discussed by means of the vector representations for stress tensors and strain tensors as well as the matrix representation for two commonly used fourth-order tensors. A numerical example is presented.