No mathematical theory can completely describe the complex world around us. Every theory is aimed at a certain class of phenomena, formulates their essential features, and disregards what is of minor importance. The theory meets its limits of applicability where a dis regarded influence becomes important. Thus, rigid-body dynamics describes in many cases the motion of actual bodies with high accu racy, but it fails to produce more than a few general statements in the case of impact, because elastic or anelastic deformation, no matter how local or how small, attains a dominating influence. For a long time mechanics of deformable bodies has been based upon Hooke's law - that is, upon thE" assumption of linear elasticity. It was well known that most engineering materials like metals, con crde, wood, soil, are not linearly elastic or, are so within limits too narrow to cover tne range of pl'actical intcrest. Nevertheless, almost all routine stress analysis is still based on Hooke T s law be cause of its simplicity. In the course of time engineers have become increasingly con scious of the importance of the anelastic behavior of many materials, and mathematical formulations have been attempted and applied to practical problems. Outstanding among them are the theories of ide ally plastic and of viscoelastic materials. While plastic behavior is essentially nonlinear (piecewise linear at best), viscoelasticity, like elasticity, permits a linear theory. This theory of linear visco elasticity is the subject of tbe present book.

Integration of theoretical developments offers complete description of linear theory of viscoelastic behavior of materials, with theoretical formulations derived from continuum mechanics viewpoint and discussions of problem solving. 1982 edition.

Engineering Viscoelasticity covers all aspects of the thermo- mechanical response of viscoelastic substances that a practitioner in the field of viscoelasticity would need to design experiments, interpret test data, develop stress-strain models, perform stress analyses, design structural components, and carry out research work. The material in each chapter is developed from the elementary to the esoteric, providing the background in mathematics and mechanics that are central to understanding the subject matter being presented. This book also examines how viscoelastic materials respond to the application of loads, and provides practical guidelines to use them in the design of commercial, military and industrial applications.

This graduate text on viscoelastic materials addresses design applications as diverse as earplugs, computer disks and medical diagnostics.

Viscoelastic Solids covers the mathematical theory of viscoelasticity and physical insights, causal mechanisms, and practical applications. The book: presents a development of the theory, addressing both transient and dynamic aspects as well as emphasizing linear viscoelasticity synthesizes the structure of the theory with the aim of developing physical insight illustrates the methods for the solution of stress analysis problems in viscoelastic objects explores experimental methods for the characterization of viscoelastic materials describes the phenomenology of viscoelasticity in a variety of materials, including polymers, metals, high damping alloys, rock, piezoelectric materials, cellular solids, dense composite materials, and biological materials analyzes high damping and extremely low damping provides the theory of viscoelastic composite materials, including examples of various types of structure and the relationships between structure and mechanical properties contains examples on the use of viscoelastic materials in preventing and alleviating human suffering Viscoelastic Solids also demonstrates the use of viscoelasticity for diverse applications, such as earplugs, gaskets, computer disks, satellite stability, medical diagnosis, injury prevention, vibration abatement, tire performance, sports, spacecraft explosions, and music.

A revised molecular approach to a classic on viscoelasticbehavior Because viscoelasticity affects the properties, appearance,processing, and performance of polymers such as rubber, plastic,and adhesives, a proper utilization of such polymers requires aclear understanding of viscoelastic behavior. Now in its third edition, Introduction to Polymer Viscoelasticityremains a classic in the literature of molecular viscoelasticity,bridging the gap between primers on polymer science and advancedresearch-level monographs. Assuming a molecular, rather than amechanical approach, the text provides a strong grounding in thefundamental concepts, detailed derivations, and particularattention to assumptions, simplifications, and limitations. This Third Edition has been entirely revised and updated to reflectrecent developments in the field. New chapters include: * Phenomenological Treatment of Viscoelasticity * Viscoelastic Models * Time-Temperature Correspondence * Transitions and Relaxation in Polymers * Elasticity of Rubbery Networks * Dielectric and NMR Methods With detailed explanations, corresponding equations, andexperimental methods, supported by real-life applications (as wellas the inclusion of a CD-ROM with data to support the exercises),this Third Edition provides today's students and professionals withthe tools they need to create polymers with more desirablequalities than ever.

Viscoelasticity and Rheology covers the proceedings of a symposium by the same title, conducted by the Mathematics Research Center held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 16-18, 1984. The contributions to the symposium are divided into four broad categories, namely, experimental results, constitutive theories, mathematical analysis, and computation. This 16-chapter work begins with experimental topics, including the motion of bubbles in viscoelastic fluids, wave propagation in viscoelastic solids, flows through contractions, and cold-drawing of polymers. The next chapters covering constitutive theories explore the molecular theories for polymer solutions and melts based on statistical mechanics, the use and limitations of approximate constitutive theories, a comparison of constitutive laws based on various molecular theories, network theories and some of their advantages in relation to experiments, and models for viscoplasticity. These topics are followed by discussions of the existence, regularity, and development of singularities, change of type, interface problems in viscoelasticity, existence for initial value problems and steady flows, and propagation and development of singularities. The remaining chapters deal with the numerical simulation of flow between eccentric cylinders, flow around spheres and bubbles, the hole pressure problem, and a review of computational problems related to various constitutive laws. This book will prove useful to chemical engineers, researchers, and students.