A texture tensor to quantify deformations

Abstract

Under mechanical deformation, most materials exhibit both elastic and fluid (or plastic) responses. No existing formalism derived from microscopic principles encompasses both their fluid-like and solid-like aspects. We define the {\it statistical texture tensor} to quantify the intuitive notion of stored deformation. This tensor links microscopic and macroscopic descriptions of the material, and extends the definition of elastic strain.

4 pages, 2 figures. to appear in Granular Matter