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arXiv · 2403.20076

Principle of virtual action in continuum mechanics

Henri Gouin
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Abstract

We present the principle of virtual action as a foundation of continuum mechanics. Used mainly in relativity, the method has a useful application in classical mechanics and places the notion of action as the basic concept of dynamics. The principle is an extension of virtual work to space-time. It extends the efforts made by d'Alembert and Lagrange. Unlike the classical case of equilibrium, the principle of virtual action becomes a postulate for the formulation of models in dynamics. It allows to use a minimal set of clear conjectures and is extended to the case of media with dissipation; it can be used for more complex systems.

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Henri Gouin. 2024-03-29. Principle of virtual action in continuum mechanics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11587-023-00785-x

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