PURE SHEARS IN THE MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

The pure shear tensors play a significant role in continuum mechanics. Recent authors' results concerning some remarkable properties of pure shear tensors and their sets are presented. A list of the properties defining pure shears is quoted. The properties of the whole set of all pure shears are described. An extraordinary role of the pure shears i n the linear theory of elasticity is disclosed. A new approach, in ter ms of Kelvin moduli and pure shears as proper elastic states, to the d escription of the symmetries of elastic materials is proposed. Finally , it is shown that a two-parametric set of orthonormal bases of deviat oric space consisting solely of pure shears can be constructed.