Elastically Hinged Molecule Model: Discrete Medium and Continuum

We consider the microscopic models of crystals containing finite size particles with rotational degrees of freedom. New physical effects due to the rotational degrees of freedom are discussed. We demonstrate that the continuum approximations for these models lead to the so-called micropolar elasticity theory. Conditions when the micropolar medium can be reduced to the usual elastic medium are described.

Keywords:

• Microscopic Crystal Model
• Rotational Degree Of Freedom
• Continuum Approximation
• Micropolar Medium
• Negative Poisson Ratio