3.6.

Normality, Convexity, and Uniqueness for an Elastic Solid 165

inequalities (V is an arbitrary volume):

stability in small (3.160)

stability in cyc1e (3.161)

where f is the integral take n over a cyc1e of applying and removing the
added stress set G-ij.
Stability conditions (3.160) may be illustrated by the uniaxial U-E curves
shown in Fig. 3.14. In panels a and b of the figure, an additional stress
d- > 0 gives rise to an additional strain i> 0, with the product d-i> O. That
is, the additional stress d- does positive work, which is represented by the
shaded triangles in the diagram. For the unstable material shown in panels
c and d of Fig. 3.14, however, the work done by the additional stress G- is
always negative.
Figure 3.14 also shows that the stability postulate assures the existence
of a unique inverse of the stress-strain relation. For the stable behavior
shown in panels a and b, the stress is determined uniquely by a given value
of strain, and vice versa. For the unstable material, however, these two
strains correspond to a single value of stress (Fig. 3.14c) or two stresses
correspond to a single value of strain (Fig. 3.14d).

3.6. Normality, Convexity, and Uniqueness for

an Elastic Solid
3.6.1. Existenee of the Potential Funetions W and il
According to the concept of stable materials, useful net energy cannot be
extracted from a stable material in a cyc1e of application and removal of
the added set of forees and displacements. Furthermore, energy must be
put in if only irrecoverable (permanent or plastic) deformation is to take
place. For elastic materials, all deformations are recoverable and stability
requires that the work don e by the external agency in such a cyc1e be zero:
that is, the integral of inequality (3.161) is always zero for elastic materials.
It can be shown that this provides a necessary and sufficient condition for
the existence of strain energy and complementary energy functions, W and
0, respectively.
For example, let the existing states of stress and strain in an elastic
material body be denoted by ut and Et, respectively. Consider an external
agency which applies and then releases aset of stresses additional to the
existing state of stress. For an elastic material, when the stress state returns
back to ut, the strain state also returns to Et; a strain cyc1e is thus completed
starti ng and ending at Et. Over such a cyc1e, the second postulate requires