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Definition
A Cosserat or micropolar medium is a continuous manifold of rigid microparticles forming a macroscopic body. Its continuum mechanical description needs to deviate from classical continuum mechanics, such that, in addition to the displacement, the rotation of the corresponding microstructure is accounted for. The dimension of the microparticles allows for the consideration of an internal length scale associated with the intrinsic length scale of many materials while still complying to the assumption that its scale is clearly separated from the continuum scale. The micropolar continuum formulation is furthermore a special case of the micromorphic continuum, where the affine micro-deformation is a homogeneous rotation.
The Physical Picture of the Cosserat Continuum
The idea and the characteristics of Cosseratmedia are best illustrated when a microstructural point of view is taken. Exemplarily, in the field of solid...
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References
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Ehlers, W., Bidier, S. (2018). Cosserat Media. In: Altenbach, H., Öchsner, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Continuum Mechanics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53605-6_149-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53605-6_149-1
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