Preface
The present first part of the Catalogue of Computational Material Models reflects
our (indeed very) long-standing ambition to compile a rigorous approach to the
continuum modelling of materials and its corresponding computational treatment in
a comprehensive, unifying and (hopefully) didactic treatise.
However, as it often goes with human ambitions, our energy to pursue this
encyclopedically scheduled endeavour came and went in waves. During an initial
high-tide phase almost two decades ago we attempted to cover the topic in the
widest possible fashion in what we called among us—unhumbly and somewhat
pompously—The Book. At the end of that phase we encountered the typical frustration of authors when the own high-flying plans fail in front of seemingly
insurmountable obstacles piling up in front. On the one hand, the envisioned
all-encompassing, yet unified treatment became rather cumbersome in view of the
ever increasing topical issues that we wanted to include. On the other hand, daily
routine and a variety of professional and private distractions took their toll (that we
gladly paid). As a consequence, in the sequel we endured a quite long low-tide
phase for the project with some smaller superposed waves of new attempts here and
there. Nevertheless, it seemed our endeavour was more or less doomed.
Only recently, with a quite healthy distance to our earlier attempts, we re-viewed
and re-scheduled our initial plans. Unexpectedly, having not pushed the project too
desperately during the low-tide phase was rather fortunate. In hindsight the long
maturation time was indeed beneficial. It turned out that the way we liked to attempt
continuum modelling had somewhat evolved to a more stringent approach based on
concepts from convex analysis. This allowed us to attack the various material
models entirely afresh. Likewise, with the calm (to not call it wisdom) of age it
proved much easier to decide on substantial re-arrangements of the overwhelming
material with an initial restriction to only Basic Geometrically Linear
One-Dimensional Models. These already showcase all archetypical material behaviours and computational approaches that are likewise displayed by more sophisticated models to be tackled in separate parts later, however without being
overshadowed by too much of complexity.
v
The present first part of the Catalogue of Computational Material Models reflects
our (indeed very) long-standing ambition to compile a rigorous approach to the
continuum modelling of materials and its corresponding computational treatment in
a comprehensive, unifying and (hopefully) didactic treatise.
However, as it often goes with human ambitions, our energy to pursue this
encyclopedically scheduled endeavour came and went in waves. During an initial
high-tide phase almost two decades ago we attempted to cover the topic in the
widest possible fashion in what we called among us—unhumbly and somewhat
pompously—The Book. At the end of that phase we encountered the typical frustration of authors when the own high-flying plans fail in front of seemingly
insurmountable obstacles piling up in front. On the one hand, the envisioned
all-encompassing, yet unified treatment became rather cumbersome in view of the
ever increasing topical issues that we wanted to include. On the other hand, daily
routine and a variety of professional and private distractions took their toll (that we
gladly paid). As a consequence, in the sequel we endured a quite long low-tide
phase for the project with some smaller superposed waves of new attempts here and
there. Nevertheless, it seemed our endeavour was more or less doomed.
Only recently, with a quite healthy distance to our earlier attempts, we re-viewed
and re-scheduled our initial plans. Unexpectedly, having not pushed the project too
desperately during the low-tide phase was rather fortunate. In hindsight the long
maturation time was indeed beneficial. It turned out that the way we liked to attempt
continuum modelling had somewhat evolved to a more stringent approach based on
concepts from convex analysis. This allowed us to attack the various material
models entirely afresh. Likewise, with the calm (to not call it wisdom) of age it
proved much easier to decide on substantial re-arrangements of the overwhelming
material with an initial restriction to only Basic Geometrically Linear
One-Dimensional Models. These already showcase all archetypical material behaviours and computational approaches that are likewise displayed by more sophisticated models to be tackled in separate parts later, however without being
overshadowed by too much of complexity.
v