On the Theory of a Cosserat Point and Its Application to the Numerical Solution of Continuum Problems

Abstract

The theory of a Cosserat point is developed to describe motion of a body that is essentially a material point surrounded by some small volume. The development of this theory is motivated mainly by its applicability to the numerical solution of continuum problems. Attention is confined to the purely mechanical theory and nonlinear balance laws are proposed for Cosserat points with arbitrary constitutive properties. The linearized theory is developed and constitutive equations for an elastic material are discussed within the context of both the nonlinear and linear theories. Explicit constitutive equations for a linear-elastic isotropic Cosserat point are developed to model a parallelepiped composed of a linear-elastic homogeneous isotropic material.