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Hyperelastic material

Hyperelastic material is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hyperelastic material rather than just read about it. In short: A hyperelastic or Green elastic material is a type of constitutive model for ideally elastic material for which the stress–strain relationship derives from a strain energy density function. The hyperelastic material is a special case of a Cauchy elastic material.

Hyperelastic material — main illustration
Hyperelastic material — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Hyperelastic material belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Hyperelastic material to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Hyperelastic material from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A hyperelastic or Green elastic material is a type of constitutive model for ideally elastic material for which the stress–strain relationship derives from a strain energy density function. The hyperelastic material is a special case of a Cauchy elastic material. For many materials, linear elastic models do not accurately describe the observed material behaviour. The most common example of this kind of material is rubber, whose stress-strain relationship can be defined as non-linearly elastic, isotropic and incompressible. Hyperelasticity provides a means of modeling the stress–strain behavior of such materials. The behavior of unfilled, vulcanized elastomers often conforms closely to the hyperelastic ideal. Filled elastomers and biological tissues are also often modeled via the hyperelastic idealization. In addition to being used to model physical materials, hyperelastic materials are also used as fictitious media, e.g. in the third medium contact method. Ronald Rivlin and Melvin Mooney developed the first hyperelastic models, the Neo-Hookean and Mooney–Rivlin solids. Many other hyperelastic models have since been developed. Other widely used hyperelastic material models include the Ogden model and the Arruda–Boyce model.

Hyperelastic material models

Saint Venant–Kirchhoff model The simplest hyperelastic material model is the Saint Venant–Kirchhoff model which is just an extension of the geometrically linear elastic material model to the geometrically nonlinear regime. This model has the general form and the isotropic form respectively

S = C : E S = λ tr ( E ) I + 2 μ E . {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\boldsymbol {S}}&={\boldsymbol {C}}:{\boldsymbol {E}}\\{\boldsymbol {S}}&=\lambda ~{\text{tr}}({\boldsymbol {E}}){\boldsymbol {\mathit {I}}}+2\mu {\boldsymbol {E}}{\text{.}}\end{aligned}}}

where : {\displaystyle \mathbin {:} } is tensor contraction, S {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {S}}} is the second Piola–Kirchhoff stress, C ∈ R 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {C}}\in \mathbb {R} ^{3\times 3\times 3\times 3}} is a fourth order stiffness tensor and E {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {E}}} is the Lagrangian Green strain given by

E = 1 2 [ ( ∇ X u ) T + ∇ X u + ( ∇ X u ) T ⋅ ∇ X u ] {\displaystyle \mathbf {E} ={\frac {1}{2}}\left[(\nabla _{\mathbf {X} }\mathbf {u} )^{\textsf {T}}+\nabla _{\mathbf {X} }\mathbf {u} +(\nabla _{\mathbf {X} }\mathbf {u} )^{\textsf {T}}\cdot \nabla _{\mathbf {X} }\mathbf {u} \right]\,\!}

λ {\displaystyle \lambda } and μ {\displaystyle \mu } are the Lamé constants, and I {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {\mathit {I}}}} is the second order unit tensor. The strain-energy density per unit volume (of the reference configuration) function for the Saint Venant–Kirchhoff model is

W ( E ) = λ 2 [ tr ( E ) ] 2 + μ tr ( E 2 ) {\displaystyle W({\boldsymbol {E}})={\frac {\lambda }{2}}[{\text{tr}}({\boldsymbol {E}})]^{2}+\mu {\text{tr}}{\mathord {\left({\boldsymbol {E}}^{2}\right)}}}

and the second Piola–Kirchhoff stress can be derived from the relation

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Hyperelastic material: Stress–strain curves for various hyperelastic material models.
Stress–strain curves for various hyperelastic material models.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hyperelastic material

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hyperelastic material claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hyperelastic material before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hyperelastic material ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hyperelastic material

In research
Hyperelastic material appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Hyperelastic material in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Hyperelastic material is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Continuum mechanics, Elasticity (physics), Rubber properties, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Hyperelastic material outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hyperelastic material in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Hyperelastic material means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Hyperelastic material out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hyperelastic material in simple terms?

A hyperelastic or Green elastic material is a type of constitutive model for ideally elastic material for which the stress–strain relationship derives from a strain energy density function. The hyperelastic material is a special case of a Cauchy elastic material.

Why does Hyperelastic material matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hyperelastic material?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hyperelastic material.

Tags

  • Continuum mechanics
  • Elasticity (physics)
  • Rubber properties
  • Solid mechanics

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