This book on Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics (CMT) (together with the companion book, by Tadmor and Miller, on Modeling Materials (MM) [TM11]) is a comprehensive framework for understanding modern attempts at modeling materials phenomena from first principles. This is a challenging problem because material behavior is dictated by many different processes, occurring on vastly different length and time scales, that interact in complex ways to give the overall material response. Further, these processes have traditionally been studied by different researchers, from different fields, using different theories and tools. For example, the bonding between individual atoms making up a material is studied by physicists using quantum mechanics, while the macroscopic deformation of materials falls within the domain of engineers who use continuum mechanics. In the end a multiscale modeling approach – capable of predicting the behavior of materials at the macroscopic scale but built on the quantum foundations of atomic bonding – requires a deep understanding of topics from a broad range of disciplines and the connections between them. These include quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and materials science, as well as continuum mechanics and thermodynamics, which are the focus of this book.

Together, continuum mechanics and thermodynamics form the fundamental theory lying at the heart of many disciplines in science and engineering. This is a nonlinear theory dealing with the macroscopic response of material bodies to mechanical and thermal loading. There are many books on continuum mechanics, but we believe that several factors set our book apart. First, is our emphasis on fundamental concepts.