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relaxation-Malkin

Module: solid

Category: materialprop

Type string: "relaxation-Malkin"

Parameters

Name Description Default Units
tau1 min. relaxation time 0 [t]
tau2 max. relaxation time 0 [t]
beta power exponent 0 []

Description

This relaxation function is derived from the continuous relaxation spectrum given in 1. The material type for this relaxation function is relaxation-Malkin.

These parameters must satisfy \(\tau_{2}>\tau_{1}>0\). When \(\beta>1\), the reduced relaxation function for this material type is given by

\[ g\left(t\right)=\frac{\left(\beta-1\right)t^{1-\beta}}{\tau_{1}^{1-\beta}-\tau_{2}^{1-\beta}}\left[\Gamma\left(\beta-1,\frac{t}{\tau_{2}}\right)-\Gamma\left(\beta-1,\frac{t}{\tau_{1}}\right)\right] \]

where \(\Gamma\left(a,z\right)\) is the incomplete gamma function. In the limit as \beta\to1 this function reduces to the form given by 2,

\[ g\left(t\right)=\frac{\Gamma\left(0,\frac{t}{\tau_{2}}\right)-\Gamma\left(0,\frac{t}{\tau_{1}}\right)}{\ln\frac{\tau_{2}}{\tau_{1}}}=\frac{\text{Ei}\left(-\frac{t}{\tau_{2}}\right)-\text{Ei}\left(-\frac{t}{\tau_{1}}\right)}{\ln\frac{\tau_{1}}{\tau_{2}}} \]

where \(\text{Ei}\left(z\right)\) is the exponential integral function.


  1. Malkin, A Ya, "Continuous relaxation spectrum-its advantages and methods of calculation", Applied Mechanics and Engineering 11, 2 (2006), pp. 235. 

  2. Fung, Y. C, Perrone, Nicholas, and Anliker, M, Biomechanics, its foundations and objectives (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1972).