Polyconvexity of generalized polynomial-type hyperelastic strain energy functions for near-incompressibility

In this article we investigate several models contained in the literature in the case of near-incompressibility based on invariants in terms of polyconvexity and coerciveness inequality, which are sufficient to guarantee the existence of a solution. These models are due to Rivlin and Saunders, namely the generalized polynomial-type elasticity, and Arruda and Boyce. The extension to near-incompressibility is usually carried out by an additive decomposition of the strain energy into a volume-changing and a volume-preserving part, where the volume-changing part depends on the determinant of the deformation gradient and the volume-preserving part on the invariants of the unimodular right Cauchy-Green tensor. It will be shown that the Arruda-Boyce model satisfies the polyconvexity condition, whereas the polynomial-type elasticity does not. Therefore, we propose a new class of strain-energy functions depending on invariants. Moreover, we focus our attention on the structure-of further isotropic strain-energy functions. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.