University of Jordan

School of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department
Professor Bashar Tarawneh, P.E

0921703
Continuum Mechanics
Description of Motion
Equations of Motion

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Material and Spatial Points, Configuration

• A continuous medium is formed by an infinite number of particles that

occupy different space positions during their movement over time.
 MATERIAL POINTS: particles
 SPATIAL POINTS: related to space, fixed spots in space,
(coordinates)
 The CONFIGURATION Ωt of a continuous medium at a given time
(t) is the locus of the positions occupied by the material points of the
continuous medium at the given time.

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Configurations of the Continuous Medium

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Material and Spatial Coordinates
• The position vector of a given particle can be
expressed in:
1. Non-deformed or Reference Configuration
 X1   X 
[X] =  X 2  =  Y  ≡ material coordinates (capital letter)
X  Z 
 3  

2. Deformed or Present Configuration

 x1   x 
[x] =  x2  =  y  ≡ spatial coordinates (small letter)
x   z 
 3  

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Equations of Motion

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Inverse Equations of Motion

What was the original space or

position that the particle occupied
previously

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 Mathematical Restrictions for φ and φ-1
Defining a “Physical” Motion

The Jacobian matrix represents the differential

of f at every point where f is differentiable. 8
 Example
The spatial description of the motion of a continuous medium is given by:

 x1 = X 1e2t  x = Xe2t
 
x (X,t ) ≡  x2 = X 2e −2t ≡  y = Ye −2t
 x = 5X t + X e 2t  z = 5Xt + Ze 2t
 3 1 3 

Find the inverse equations of motion.

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  x1 = X 1e2t
Example - Solution 
x (X,t ) ≡  x2 = X 2e −2t
 x = 5X t + X e 2t
 3 1 3

Check the mathematical restrictions:

- Consistency Condition φ (X,0 ) = X ? X 1e2⋅0

   X1 
   
x (X,t = 0 ) =  X 2e−2⋅0  = X2 = X
5X ⋅0 + X e2⋅0   X 
 1 3   3
- Continuity Condition φ ∈C1 ?
- Biunivocity Condition ?
∂x1 ∂x1 ∂x1
∂X1 ∂X 2 ∂X 3
e2t 0 0
∂xi ∂x ∂x2 ∂x2
J= = 2 =0 e−2t 0 = e2t ⋅ e−2t ⋅ e2t = e2t ≠ 0
∂X j ∂X1 ∂X 2 ∂X 3
5t 0 e2t
∂x3 ∂x3 ∂x3
∂X1 ∂X 2 ∂X 3
∂φ (X, t )
 Density positive ? J= >0
J = e2t > 0
∂X

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  x1 = X 1e2t

x (X,t ) ≡  x2 = X 2e −2t
 x = 5X t + X e 2t
Calculate the inverse equations:  3 1 3

x1
x1 = X 1e2t ⇒ X 1 = = x 1e−2t
e 2t

x = X e−2t ⇒ X = x2 = x e2t
2 2
2 2
e−2t

x = 5X t + X e2t ⇒ X = x3 − 5X 1t = x − 5 (x e −2t ) t e−2t = x e −2t − 5tx e −4t

( )
3 3 1 3 1
3 1 3
e2t

 X 1 = x1e−2t

X ≡ φ −1 (x,t ) =  X 2 = x2e2t
 −2t −4t
 X 3 = x3e − 5tx1e

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 Descriptions of Motion
• The mathematical description of the particle properties can be done in
two ways:

 Material (Lagrangian) description, in terms of the particles labels

or names. For example, following particles to get their density.

 Spatial (Eulerian) description, measuring the density of the

particles passing through a specific point or coordinate. For
example, monitoring a specific point.

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 Material or Lagrangian Description
• The physical properties are described in terms of the material
coordinates and time.

• It focuses on what is occurring at a fixed material point (a particle,

labeled by its material coordinates) as time progresses.

• Normally used in solid mechanics.

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 Spatial or Eulerian Description
• The physical properties are described in terms of the spatial
coordinates and time.

• It focuses on what is occurring at a fixed point in space (a spatial point

labelled by its spatial coordinates) as time progresses.

• Normally used in fluid mechanics.

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 Example
The equation of motion of a continuous medium is:

Find the spatial description of the property whose material description is:

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  x = X − Yt
Example-Solution x = x (X,t ) ≡  y = Xt + Y
 z = − Xt + Z

Check the mathematical restrictions:

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Example-Solution

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Example-Solution

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Time Derivatives

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Material and Local Derivatives

Capital gamma (Γ): Material description

Small gamma (γ): Spatial Description
w.r.t: with respect to
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 Convective Derivative

Time is taken twice.

Derivative of a Instantaneous
function of a function speed is the first
derivative of
distance with
respect to time

Material derivative over a spatial

property is the local derivative plus…
If the particle doesn’t move,
this part of equation is zero.
However, that doesn’t mean
the property doesn’t change.
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Convective Derivative
• The convective derivative is a derivative taken with respect to
a moving coordinate system.
• Convective rate of change or convective derivative is
implicitly defined as:
v ⋅∇ (• )

• The term convection is generally applied to motion related

phenomena.
• If there is no convection (v=0) there is no convective rate of
change and the material and local derivatives coincide
(match).
v ⋅∇ (• ) = 0

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Example

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Solution

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Velocity and Acceleration

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Velocity

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Acceleration

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Example

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Example - Solution

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Example - Solution

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Example - Solution

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Example - Solution

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Example - Solution

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Example - Solution

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Example - Solution

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Stationarity and Uniformity

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Stationary properties

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Example

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Uniform properties

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