A finite element analysis of some boundary value problems for a new type of constitutive relation for elastic bodies

Recently, there has been interest in the study of a new class of constitutive relation, wherein the linearized strain tensor is assumed to be a function of the stresses. In this communication, some boundary value problems are solved using the finite element method and the solid material being described by such a constitutive relation, where the stresses can be arbitrarily ‘large’, but strains remain small. Three problems are analyzed, namely the traction of a plate with hyperbolic boundaries, a plate with a point load, and the traction of a plate with an elliptic hole. The results for the stresses and strains are compared with the predictions that are obtained by using the constitutive equation of the classical linearized theory of elasticity.