REVERSIBILITY, RECOVERABLE WORK AND FREE ENERGY IN LINEAR VISCOELASTICITY

Abstract

It is a problem of considerable interest in the mechanics of materials with memory to evaluate the maximum work recoverable from a strain history. In this paper the recoverable work is determined for a class of three-dimensional linear viscoelastic materials compatible with thermodynamics and a sequence of strain paths is found which ultimately maximizes the work. In addition a free energy function is constructed and an intimate relationship with a concept of reversibility is established.