Configurational balance in slender bodies

In this paper we propose a new derivation of the evolution equation of a sharp, coherent interface in a two-phase body having elongated shape, a body which we regard as a one-dimensional micropolar continuum. To this aim, we introduce a system of forces acting at the interface, and we apply the method of virtual powers to derive a balance law involving these forces. By exploiting the dissipation inequality, we manage to write this balance law in terms of a scalar field whose form is reminiscent of a well-known expression for the configurational stress in three dimensional micropolar continua.

The original paper has been published on the Archive of Applied Mechanics. DOI: 10.1007/s00419-010-0470-3