The role of structural mechanics in multi-scale modelling of the inelastic behaviour of engineering materials

This paper is not an attempt to survey an exponentially growing field in nonlinear analysis, testing and design of engineering structures, but rather an attempt to illustrate pertinent aspects of recent research activities with one research group. In this work the theoretical formulation of inelastic constitutive material models is re-examined in terms of accounting for interplay between the micro-structure and the appropriate representation which is employed at macro-structural level. The main objective of the work is to show that new, refined, results, relating to classical phenomenological models Also briefly discuss are the issues raised by multi-scale models of this kind, with respect to materials design and testing.