A Course on Plasticity Theory

Abstract This work, concerned with the conceptual foundations of continuum plasticity theory, emphasizes a unifying perspective grounded in the fundamental notion of material symmetry. This affords a systematic framework for the proper understanding of established models of plasticity and for their modern extensions and generalizations. Particular emphasis is placed on the differential-geometric aspects of the subject and their role in illuminating the kinematical basis of plasticity theory. Classical models, together with several alternatives of interest in contemporary research, are developed in a unified format. The book is addressed to graduate students and specialists working in the field of continuum mechanics.