On rate-type viscoelasticity and the second law of thermodynamics (Q759516)

An identity involving the total energy of a three-dimensional rate-type viscoelastic body in a smooth motion and smooth stressing is established. For such bodies the existence and uniqueness of the energy function is proved. Sufficient condition for convexity and positiveness of the energy function are given in the case of linear instantaneous response. For constitutive equations having a linear equilibrium hypersurface the total energy function defines a norm on the space of reference configurations. If the body is isolated it is proved that the equilibrium is approached in the \(L_ 2\) sense. Using this result, the authors give a Maxwell type viscoelastic approach to nonlinear elasticity and the approximation of the elastic problem by a viscoelastic one is discussed. In the last part of the paper an example is given showing that stability is not a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics.