Torsion of a Cosserat elastic bar with square cross section: theory and experiment

Abstract

An approximate analytical solution for the displacement and microrotation vector fields is derived for pure torsion of a prismatic bar with square cross section comprised of homogeneous, isotropic linear Cosserat elastic material. This is accomplished by analytical simplification coupled with use of the principle of minimum potential energy together with polynomial representations for the desired field components. Explicit approximate expressions are derived for cross section warp and for applied torque versus angle of twist of the bar. These show that torsional rigidity exceeds the classical elasticity value, the difference being larger for slender bars, and that cross section warp is less than the classical amount. Experimental measurements on two sets of 3D printed square cross section polymeric bars, each set having a different microstructure and four different cross section sizes, revealed size effects not captured by classical elasticity but consistent with the present analysis for physically sensible values of the Cosserat moduli. The warp can allow inference of Cosserat elastic constants independently of any sensitivity the material may have to dilatation gradients; warp also facilitates inference of Cosserat constants that are difficult to obtain via size effects.