From classical to Voigt's molecular models in elasticity
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: From classical to Voigt's molecular models in elasticity
zbMATH Open document ID: 1203.01010
author: Danilo Capecchi
author: Patrizia Trovalusci
author: Giuseppe Claudio Ruta
published in: Archive for History of Exact Sciences
publication date: 2010-10-26T00:00:00Z
review text: In the first decades of the 19th century Cauchy, Poisson and others developed a corpuscular theory of elasticity based on the assumption that matter consists of material points that interact by means of opposite central forces. Their theory suggested that homogeneous isotropic materials were characterized by means of one unique constant of elasticity. However, experiments showed that two constants were necessary instead of only one and in 1839 searching for a model of the aether, George Green came up with another approach based on the assumption that matter can be considered as continuous. By postulating the existence of a potential function Green succeeded in explaining the existence of the two constants and his theory meant serious competition for the corpuscular theory. However, in the 1880s, basing himself on Bravais' crystallographic work, Woldemar Voigt developed a corpuscular theory that was confirmed by experiments. In this paper this development is discussed, although the emphasis is on Voigt's work. The authors argue that although Voigt's model of an elastic material is forgotten now, it is still important and it deserves to be studied by those who are today studying complex or new materials.
reviewed by: Teun Koetsier
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 01A55
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 00A71
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 74B05
zbMATH DE Number: 5805945
zbMATH Keywords: history of the theory of elasticity
zbMATH Keywords: linear elasticity
zbMATH Keywords: Woldemar Voigt
zbMATH Keywords: Cauchy
zbMATH Keywords: Poisson
zbMATH Keywords: George Green
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: s00407-010-0065-y
OpenAlex ID: W2071451807
Wikidata QID: Q59151485
cites work: Q3999895
cites work: Q3997816
cites work: Q4320522
cites work: Q5800805
cites work: Il contributo italiano alla teoria matematica dell'elasticita
cites work: Q4897359
DOI: 10.1007/S00407-010-0065-Y
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5805945