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Transition to the 20th Century

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Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century

Part of the book series: Solid Mechanics and Its Applications ((SMIA,volume 196))

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Abstract

Chapter Two deals with the transition period between circa 1880 and 1914, which prepares the way for the Twentieth century. It also advocates an attitude towards a development that is characteristic of a period when many engineering scientists believe in a then fixed paradigm and no further evolution is thought possible in spite of a contemporary revolution in theoretical and mathematical physics. Of course this corresponds to a period of natural consolidation with the general creation of efficient engineering schools all over Europe and the appearance of newborn ones in the USA. Of particular interest in this rather quiet landscape are queries concerning going beyond the most traditional behaviours (linear elasticity and Newtonian viscous fluids). Here are distinguished the emerging attempts at the description of more involved behaviours such as viscoelasticity (Voigt, Boltzmann, Volterra), and friction and plasticity (Tresca, Barré de Saint-Venant, Lévy, Huber, Mises). In spite of the relative quietness of the period, new interests of investigation are considered, mainly in the dynamic frame, the consideration of continua with internal degrees of freedom (Duhem, the Cosserat brothers), and elements of homogenization theory. Perhaps more attractive at the time were the discussions about the general principles of mechanics by people like Hertz, Mach, Duhem (with his general energetics), Poincaré, Hamel and Hellinger. This pondering will prove extremely useful in the second half of the Twentieth century.

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  1. Institut Jean Le Rond d’Alembert, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Place Jussieu 4, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Gérard A. Maugin

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Maugin, G.A. (2013). Transition to the 20th Century. In: Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century. Solid Mechanics and Its Applications, vol 196. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6353-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6353-1_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-6352-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6353-1

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