4.

Objectivity of Tensors

The Objectivity of Tensors

4
4.1 Introduction

Any physical quantity must be invariant for different observers. For example, let us
suppose that two observers are located at different positions, (see Figure 4.1), this means
they must both detect the same stress state acting on the body for there to be physical
meaning.
observer 1

Current configuration
observer 2

B
ı




observer
& & &
x* c (t )  Q(t ) ˜ x
B*
B
ı ı

Current configuration

Figure 4.1: Superimposed rigid-body motion.

E.W.V. Chaves, Notes on Continuum Mechanics, Lecture Notes on Numerical 269

Methods in Engineering and Sciences 4, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5986-2_6,
© International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), 2013
270 NOTES ON CONTINUUM MECHANICS

The equivalent to the two observers is that one single observer that records the stress state
in the current configuration must be able to compute the same stress state if the continuum
undergoes rigid body motion.
When we are dealing with nonlinear problems it is necessary to approach the constitutive
equations in rates. As we shall see, in general, the rate of change of the tensor, e.g. velocity,
acceleration, etc., is not objective, which can be inconvenient when formulating the
constitutive equation, which by definition must be objective. Therefore, to overcome this
drawback, we will define some rates that are objective.

4.2 The Objectivity of Tensors

Let us consider two possible motions defined by F and F * , where the latter, only differs
from the former, by a rigid body motion which in turn is characterized by a proper
orthogonal tensor Q , i.e. a rotation tensor det (Q) 1 , (see Figure 4.2). Then the tensor
( x ) is said to be objective, or frame-indifferent, when its counterpart x* can be obtained by
the corresponding orthogonal transformation. By virtue of the fact that the motion
characterized by F generates the stress state ı , and the motion F * generates the stress
state ı * Q ˜ ı ˜ Q T we have the principle of objectivity or material frame indifference.

Rotated current configuration

&
g*
&
x*
G* Q

F* Q˜F A*

& &
X G
&
g G
&
x
Reference configuration A

F Current configuration

Figure 4.2: Motions.

Scalars
A scalar is objective if:
G* G (4.1)
Then, all scalars are objective.