Models of continuum with microcrack distribution

The present work compares the micromechanical approach and the continuum ap proach for modeling microcracked continuum. The first approach considers a distribution of microscopic cells including contacting lips (discontinuity of matter), and the second approach considers a distribution of singularity in a continuum (discontinuity of fields). The main difference in these two methods is due to the choice of internal variables capturing the interstit ial dissipation: torsion and curvature of the affine connection in the cont inuum approach and jump of velocity and temperature across the cracks for t he micromechanical approach. The continuum approach involves more details t han the micromechanical approach due to the accounting for both the transla tions and rotations of contacting lips.