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CONTINUUM MECHANICS for ENGINEERS

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FIGURE 9.6A<br />

Generalized Kelvin model.<br />

FIGURE 9.6B<br />

Generalized Maxwell model.<br />

9.4 Creep and Relaxation<br />

Further insight into the viscoelastic nature of the material making up the<br />

cube shown in Figure 9.1 is provided by two basic experiments, the creep<br />

test and the stress relaxation test. The creep test consists of instantaneously<br />

subjecting the material cube to a simple shear stress σ 12 of magnitude σ o and<br />

maintaining that stress constant thereafter while measuring the shear strain<br />

as a function of time. The resulting strain γ 12(t), is called the creep. In the<br />

stress relaxation test, an instantaneous shear strain γ 12 of magnitude γ o is<br />

imposed on the cube and maintained at that value while the resulting stress,<br />

σ 12(t), is recorded as a function of time. The decrease in the stress values over<br />

the duration of the test is referred to as the stress relaxation. Expressing these<br />

test loadings mathematically is accomplished by use of the unit step function,<br />

U(t–t 1), defined by the equation<br />

⎧⎪<br />

1<br />

Ut ( − t1)=<br />

⎨<br />

⎩⎪ 0<br />

t> t<br />

1<br />

t≤t 1<br />

(9.4-1)

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