Material constraints, Lagrange multipliers, and compatibility. Applications to rod and shell theories (Q1189741)

The authors deal with the theory of material (internal) constraints in continuum mechanics, formulating a global constraint principle, having a physically and mathematically natural interpretation. An appropriate general role for the Lagrange multipliers as reactive stresses is put into evidence; it is shown for which kind of constraints the global constraint principle reduces to the classic local principle. Applications to rods, shells and discrete models are presented.