Elementary Viscoelastic Stress Analysis for Bars and Beams

Abstract

The study of polymer engineering science and viscoelasticity is not complete unless attention is given to the stress (or strain) analysis of important structural problems. These include sets of problems related to viscoelastic materials (e.g., polymers) analogous to those in the first course in solid mechanics (often called strength of materials), courses on structural mechanics (including energy methods, Castigliano’s theorems, etc.), the theory of linear elasticity (stress functions, three dimensional problems, etc.), the theory of linear elastic plates and shells, elastic stability and others. While it is not possible to cover all these topics, it is possible to cover selected problems in several areas to demonstrate common methods of approach such that individuals can continue to explore problems unique to their own area of interest. Hopefully, the brief introduction given here can assist one in solving structural analysis problems for viscoelastic materials provided the necessary background to solve a similar structural analysis problem for an elastic material has been mastered.