Some remarks on recent developments in micropolar continuum theory

This paper considers micropolar media that can undergo structural changes and do not a priori consist of indestructible material particles. Initially the pertinent literature is reviewed. Then the necessary theoretical framework for a continuum of that type is presented. The standard macroscopic equations for mass, linear and angular momentum are complemented by a recently proposed balance for the moment of inertia tensor, which contains a production term. Two examples illustrate the effect of the production. In the first example, we study a continuous stream of matter on a conveyor belt going through a crusher so that the total number of particles will change. In context with this example, it is also clear that the traditional Lagrangian way of describing the motion of solids is no longer adequate and must be replaced by the Eulerian point of view known from fluid mechanics. The second example deals with hollow particles which rotate because of the presence of body couples. Now a transient temperature field is superimposed such that the moment of inertia field changes due to the thermal expansion of particles. This in turn results in rotational motion that is no longer constant but varies in space and time.