Thermodynamics with Internal Variables. Part II. Applications (original) (raw)

2000, Journal of Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics

The second part of this synthetic work presents and discusses the most spectacular and successful applications of the irreversible thermodynamics with internal variables. These include viscosity in both fluids and solids (in the former case, in complex fluids and structurally complex flows), viscoplasticity and rate-independent plasticity in small and finite strains, damage and cyclic plasticity, electric and magnetic relaxation, magnetic and electric hysteresis, normal and semi-conduction, superconductivity of deformable solids, and ferrofluids. In all cases the internal variables of interest are given some physical significance in terms of quantities defined at a sublevel of description. The relevant internal variables may be as varied as second-order tensors, real or complex valued scalars, and polar or axial vectors. Furthermore, the role played by internal variables in wave-propagation problems is emphasized through appropriate examples. The presentation ends with reaction-diffusion problems. This is illustrated by damage, plastic-strain localization and models for nerve-pulse dynamics. Globally, we have all ingredients of a truly post-Duhemian irreversible thermodynamics of complex behaviors. 9. A wealth of applications 4 As there apparently are no limits to the choice of internal variables and phenomena to be represented by these, the class of possible applications is itself theoretically infinite and it is practically limited only by the imagination of scientists. However, the most