Configurational mechanics is a subdiscipline of
continuum mechanics
Continuum mechanics is a branch of mechanics that deals with the deformation of and transmission of forces through materials modeled as a ''continuous medium'' (also called a ''continuum'') rather than as discrete particles.
Continuum mec ...
in which particular emphasis is placed on reckoning from the perspective of the material
manifold
In mathematics, a manifold is a topological space that locally resembles Euclidean space near each point. More precisely, an n-dimensional manifold, or ''n-manifold'' for short, is a topological space with the property that each point has a N ...
. By contrast, in
classical mechanics
Classical mechanics is a Theoretical physics, physical theory describing the motion of objects such as projectiles, parts of Machine (mechanical), machinery, spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. The development of classical mechanics inv ...
, reckoning is commonly made from the perspective of
spatial coordinates.
Configurational mechanics has been applied to the analysis of
crack growth. In these applications, growth of the crack corresponds to a material
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
, and the configurational force causing crack growth emerges as the
Energy release rate.
References
Continuum mechanics
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