Surface phenomena of gradient materials

Abstract

AbstractThe behavior of third gradient materials is analyzed. They possess stress tensor fields of second, third and fourth order. Starting from the principle of virtual power, we derive the admissible boundary conditions. Those on free surfaces can only be obtained by the application of the divergence theorem of surfaces. On the other hand, such an application to fictitious internal cuts makes no sense although it is usually practiced. We prove that some of the boundary conditions on a free surface may be interpreted as the equilibrium conditions of a shell. So a crust shell exists on such a surface and a beam exists where patches of the surface meet. On the other hand, no such shells or beams can be found with fictitious surfaces in the interior of a continuum. Our finding does not depend on any specific constitutive assumption.