A nonhomogeneous nonlocal elasticity model

Nonlocal elasticity with nonhomogeneous elastic moduli and internal length is addressed within a thermodynamic framework suitable to cope with continuum nonlocality. The Clausius–Duhem inequality, enriched by the energy residual, is used to derive the state equations and all other thermodynamic restrictions upon the constitutive equations. A phenomenological nonhomogeneous nonlocal (strain difference-dependent) elasticity model is proposed, in which the stress is the sum of two contributions, local and nonlocal, respectively governed by the standard elastic moduli tensor and the (symmetric positive-definite) nonlocal stiffness tensor. The inhomogeneities of the elastic moduli and of the internal length are conjectured to be each the cause of additional attenuation effects upon the long distance particle interactions. The increased attenuation effects are accounted for by means of the standard attenuation function, but with the standard spatial distance replaced by a suitably larger equivalent distance, and with the spatially variable internal length replaced by the largest value within the domain. Formulae for the computation of the equivalent distance are heuristically suggested and illustrated with numerical examples. The solution uniqueness of the continuum boundary-value problem is proven and the related total potential energy principle given and employed for possible nonlocal-FEM discretizations. A bar in tension is considered for a few numerical applications, showing perfect numerical stability, provided the free energy potential is positive definite.