Thermal stresses in the stress tensor

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the inclusion of thermal stresses in the stress tensor, particularly in the context of viscous flow and compressible fluids. Participants explore how thermal effects can be integrated into existing mechanical stress models, with references to specific equations and applications such as sintering.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes a total stress tensor that includes thermal flux as \(\boldsymbol{\sigma}=-p\mathbf{I}+\frac{1}{2}(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})+\alpha T\mathbf{I}\) and questions its correctness.
  • Another participant notes that the original equation is for an incompressible fluid, suggesting that the context may affect the formulation.
  • A third participant references an external source indicating a different formulation for the Cauchy stress, suggesting that the initial proposal may not align with established equations.
  • Some participants provide an alternative equation for a compressible viscous fluid, indicating that thermal expansion is typically considered negligible in stress calculations, but they also present a modified equation that includes thermal expansion effects.
  • A participant expresses a specific interest in coupling temperature to Navier's equations and inquires about including the time derivative of temperature in the stress tensor for applications related to sintering.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the correct formulation of the stress tensor with thermal stresses. Multiple competing views and interpretations of the equations remain, with some participants emphasizing the importance of thermal expansion while others focus on thermal stresses within materials.

Contextual Notes

There are indications of missing assumptions regarding the conditions under which the proposed equations apply, particularly concerning compressibility and thermal expansion. The discussion also highlights the complexity of integrating thermal effects into fluid dynamics models.

hunt_mat
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TL;DR
How to I include thermal stresses in the stress tensor
Suppose I have a mechanical stress tensor \sigma. Say I have the stress tensor for viscous flow:
\boldsymbol{\sigma}=-p\mathbf{I}+\frac{1}{2}(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})
If the thermal flux is given by \boldsymbol{\sigma}_{th}=\alpha T\mathbf{I}, so I have a total flux as:
\boldsymbol{\sigma}=-p\mathbf{I}+\frac{1}{2}(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})+\alpha T\mathbf{I}
Is this correct?
 
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hunt_mat said:
TL;DR Summary: How to I include thermal stresses in the stress tensor

Suppose I have a mechanical stress tensor \sigma. Say I have the stress tensor for viscous flow:
\boldsymbol{\sigma}=-p\mathbf{I}+\frac{1}{2}(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})
If the thermal flux is given by \boldsymbol{\sigma}_{th}=\alpha T\mathbf{I}, so I have a total flux as:
\boldsymbol{\sigma}=-p\mathbf{I}+\frac{1}{2}(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})+\alpha T\mathbf{I}
Is this correct?
Your original equation is for an incompressible fluid.
 
The correct equation for a compressible viscous fluid without thermal expansion is \boldsymbol{\sigma}=-(p+\frac{2\mu}{3 }\nabla \centerdot \mathbf u)\mathbf{I}+\mu(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})
With thermal expansion, this becomes \boldsymbol{\sigma}=-(p+\frac{2\mu}{3 }(\nabla \centerdot \mathbf u-\alpha \frac{D T}{Dt}))\mathbf{I}+\mu(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})The thermal expansion term is usually considered negligible in determining the stress.
 
Last edited:
Chestermiller said:
The correct equation for a compressible viscous fluid without thermal expansion is \boldsymbol{\sigma}=-(p+\frac{2\mu}{3 }\nabla \centerdot \mathbf u)\mathbf{I}+\mu(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})
With thermal expansion, this becomes \boldsymbol{\sigma}=-(p+\frac{2\mu}{3 }\nabla \centerdot \mathbf u-\alpha \frac{\partial T}{\partial t})\mathbf{I}+\mu(\nabla\mathbf{u}+(\nabla\mathbf{u})^{T})The thermal expansion term is usually considered negligible in determining the stress.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I'm not interested in expansion, but thermal stresses within a material. I want temperature to be coupled to Navier's equations. I would include the \partial_{t}T term as part of the stress tensor to fully couple the derivative?

I'm thinking of sintering with this application, and how thermal expansion affects everything.
 

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