BUOYANCY-INDUCED DEFORMATIONS IN A COMPRESSIBLE ELASTIC SOLID

Given a rectangular slab of a purely elastic material (neo-Hookean) wi th different temperatures imposed on the lateral surfaces, it is shown , within the context of a linearized theory, that the resulting deform ation field is, under suitable boundary conditions, virtually identica l to its fluid-mechanical counterpart given by a rectangular trench fi lled with a Newtonian liquid. A second, more general analogy between p roblems involving buoyancy induced deformations and the classical theo ry of thin plates is also presented. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by E lsevier Science Ltd.