2. Damage to materials and structures

Technological development in various fields of mechanical engineering is steadily progressing towards the rational exploitation of the rheological behavior of materials, particularly in cases of extreme loading.

Using the last term of the 2nd member of the coupled thermomechanical equation, which explains the intrinsic dissipation of irreversible processes, infrared thermography and experimental analysis offer, under suitable experimental conditions, the possibility of identifying and monitoring mechanical damage in materials and structures under load. This damage corresponds to the manifestation of damage leading to irreversible degradation of physical capacities and preceding inevitable failure.