Theoretical Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos
USA
txl@lanl.gov
Strain inhomogeneties play a crucial role in determining the properties of functional materials such as shape memory alloys, ferroelectrics and colossal magnetoresitsance perovskites. I will discuss how a formulation based on unit cell strains can lead to competing elastic forces which determine multiscale textures in such materials. The microstructure evolution and its dependence on strain rate for shape memory alloys will also be considered.