Mechanics of deformable solids Definition
Solid mechanics
Builds on Continuum mechanicsConstitutive equationDeformation gradient
Definition
Solid mechanics is the part of continuum mechanics that studies bodies made of solid materials. A material is treated as a solid when its constitutive equation refers to a reference configuration. This means that the stress at a material point depends on the deformation gradient relative to a fixed natural shape. It does not depend only on the rate of deformation.
Remarks
An elastic material, whose Cauchy stress is a function of the deformation gradient , is a solid in this sense. Its stress records how far the body is from its reference shape. An ideal fluid, whose stress depends only on the density, is not a solid: it has no preferred shape, and any volume-preserving rearrangement leaves its stress unchanged. The line between solids and fluids is blurred for viscoelastic materials, which show both behaviours on different time scales.
Reading path
To understand this page from the ground up, read these 4 pages in order. The foundations come first.
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- no evidence level
- Constitutive equation concept
- Continuum mechanics concept
- Deformation gradient concept
- Solid mechanics definition
Further reading
About this page
| Tag | RCS2X0F9SS |
|---|---|
| URI | m2://RCS2X0F9SS |
| Kind | definition |
| Writing | W0 stub |
| MSC | 74A99 |
| Defines | Solid mechanics |
| Uses | Continuum mechanics, Constitutive equation, Deformation gradient |
| Changed | 3 November 2026 |
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