Universal deformation

In nonlinear elasticity, universal deformations are the deformations that exist for arbitrary strain-energy density functions and suitable tractions at the boundaries. Here, we discuss the equivalent problem for linear elasticity. We characterize the universal displacements of  linear elasticity: those displacement fields that can be maintained by applying boundary tractions in the absence of body forces for any linear elastic solid in a given anisotropy class.

The elastic Ericksen's problem consists of finding deformations in isotropic hyperelastic solids that can be maintained for arbitrary strain-energy density functions.  In the compressible case, Ericksen showed that only homogeneous deformations are possible. Here, we solve the anelastic version of the same problem, that is we determine both the deformations and the eigenstrains such that a solution to the anelastic problem exists for arbitrary strain-energy density functions. Anelasticity is described by finite eigenstrains.