The mechanics of soft solids

Most of my work on elastic solids has been on constitutive equations, that is, mathematically describing the different components of a solid, and how these effect the forces and deformations. With the two main themes being stressed solids and fibre-reinforced solids. I have also explored how to use waves and instabilities to characterise solids.

Initially stressed solids

The driving question is how to mathematically describe the mechanical response of residually stressed solids? Our main contribution has been revealing a new symmetry, a result from conservation of energy, that restricts the possible mechanical responses.

This is what happens when you cut a residually stressed elastic rubber ball. The movement is powered by the release of the residual stress.
The arrows indicate the direction of the residual stress of a thick tube. The material is in equilibrium.
Avatar
Artur L Gower
Lecturer in Dynamics

Art Gower is a lecturer at the University of Sheffield and part of the Dynamics group. He uses maths to understand waves (sound and light) in materials. Sometimes computers show him that his maths is wrong.

Related