Finite deformation by mechanical twinning (Q792799)

The elementary view of twinning begins with a monoatomic lattice filling all of space divided by a plane of atoms (called the plane of composition). On one side of this plane the lattice remains fixed, while on the other side the lattice undergoes a simple shear parallel to the plane. The author lays down a precise definition of a twin which generalizes that elementary picture, and to some extend, corrects, the definitions used informally in the literature. In his definition two individuals appearing in the elementary view may be separated by a surface of composition and moreover they need not be homogeneously deformed. It is required only that the function of motion is continuous across the twin boundary while its gradient (as well as other state variables) may have jump discontinuities. Its one-sided limits must be in a special relation in which the elements of the Galilean group and the symmetry group of the stored energy function take place. The author studies implications of the definition for finite elasticity and the theory of the elastic dielectric. Since collections of twins cannot be put together in an arbitrary way, the author develops a systematic procedure based on partitions of sphere to find singlest arrangements of kinematically possible deformations. In this way the author may define a mechanical trilling, tetrad as well as a mechanical n-ling. The stability analysis of piecewise homogeneous deformations in finite elasticity, which are also twins, brings the elegant proofs of some already known particular results concerning twinning. It is also shown that the existence and properties of a twin depend significantly upon the class of competitors allowed in the definition of stability. The paper gives a new light and clarifies the old theories of twinning in calcite of \textit{K. V. Vladimirskij} [Zh. Ehksper. Teor. Fiz. 17, No.6, 530-536 (1947)] and Dauphiné twinning in quartz of \textit{L. A. Thomas} and \textit{W. A. Wooster} [Proc. Roy. Soc. A 208, 43-62 (1951)].