Relativistic constitutive modeling of inelastic deformation of continua moving in space-time

Abstract

This paper proposes a modeling structure for the relativistic constitutive equations of inelastic deformation in materials moving at high speeds. While the theory of relativity has successfully approximated material motion in space-time, most existing models only consider elastic behavior, neglecting inelastic deformation. A comprehensive relativistic inelasticity model is necessary to objectively measure inelastic deformation for observers with varying velocities, including those near the speed of light. The proposed model expands classical deformation tensors to four-dimensional tensors in space-time, referred to as relativistic Cauchy-Green deformation tensors. By introducing constitutive equations based on these tensors, objective measurements of inelastic deformation are achieved while satisfying the second law of thermodynamics. An illustrative example demonstrates the application of this theory and explains the physical interpretations of the model. Moreover, it is shown that the proposed relativistic inelasticity model converges to a classical inelasticity model under slower motion compared to the speed of light.