| Abstract: |
| The name Materials with memory is given to those materials whose mechanical or thermodynamical behaviour crucially depends on time not only through the present time, but also its history.
We aim to provide an overview on various models of viscoelastic materials. Specifically,
based on the well known classical model, different generalisations are introduced.
The mechanical response of a viscoelastic material depends on time not only through
the present time, but also via its deformation history. Hence, a viscoelastic material is termed a material with memory. Accordingly, under the mathematical viewpoint, such a behaviour is modelled via the introduction of, in the evolution equations, an integral term. In viscoelasticity, such a term whose kernel represents the relaxation modulus is the key quantity to describe the behaviour of the material of in- terest. Different aspects are taken into account via suitable modifications of the kernel, which represents the relaxation modulus, such as weak regularity or unbounded kernels at the initial t=0 time and, in addition, effects of ageing i.e. effects of degradation of the material response due to the age of the material itself, are considered. |
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