Relaxation-type equations for viscoelastic media with finite deformations (Q1819988)

The representation of the total deformations in the form of a composition of elastic and irreversible components is considered to describe finite deformations of viscoelastic materials of relaxation type. According to the method of internal parameters, it is assumed that the thermodynamic potential, the stress tensor, the entropy density, and thermal flux, and the rate of change of inelastic deformations are functions of the total deformation, the temperature, the temperature gradient, and the irreversible deformation. On the basic of requirements for invariance of the governing equations, a definition of isotropic ideal and hardened viscoelastic bodies is given. Necessary and sufficient conditions are formulated which the equations of state of such media should satisfy. The propagation of isothermal waves of weak discontinuity in an ideal viscoelastic medium with small elastic and finite total deformations is considered as an illustration.