On the incremental equations in surface elasticity

Abstract

We derive the incremental equations for a hyperelastic solid that incorporate surface tension effect by assuming that the surface energy is a general function of the surface deformation gradient. The incremental equations take the same simple form as their purely mechanical counterparts and are valid for any geometry. In particular, for isotropic materials, the extra surface elastic moduli are expressed in terms of the surface energy function and the two surface principal stretches. The effectiveness of the resulting incremental theory is illustrated by applying it to study the Plateau--Rayleigh and Wilkes instabilities in a solid cylinder.