Some foundational aspects of the constitutive theory of finite elasticity are considered in the case, regarded here as general, when internal kinematical constraints are imposed. The emphasis is on the algebraic-geometric structure induced by constraints. In particular, old and new examples of internal constraints are reviewed, and the material symmetry issue in the presence of constraints is discussed.

Let $F^{\mathrm{p}}\in \mathrm{GL}\left(3\right)$ be the plastic deformation from the multiplicative decomposition in elasto-plasticity. We show that the geometric dislocation density tensor of Gurtin in the form $\mathrm{Curl}\left[F^{\mathrm{p}}\right]·{\left(F^{\mathrm{p}}\right)}^T$ applied to rotations controls the gradient in the sense that pointwise $\forall R\in C^1({ℝ}^3,\mathrm{SO}\left(3\right)):\parallel \mathrm{Curl}\left[R\right]·R^T{\parallel }_{{𝕄}^{3\times 3}}^2\ge \frac{1}{2}{\parallel \mathrm{D}R\parallel }_{{ℝ}^{27}}^2$. This result complements rigidity results [Friesecke, James and Müller, Comme Pure Appl. Math. 55 (2002) 1461–1506; John, Comme Pure Appl. Math. 14 (1961) 391–413; Reshetnyak, Siberian Math. J. 8 (1967) 631–653)] as well as an associated linearized theorem...

Let $F^{\mathrm{p}}\in \mathrm{GL}\left(3\right)$ be the plastic deformation from the multiplicative decomposition in elasto-plasticity. We show that the geometric dislocation density tensor of Gurtin in the form $\mathrm{Curl}\left[F^{\mathrm{p}}\right]·{\left(F^{\mathrm{p}}\right)}^T$ applied to rotations controls the gradient in the sense that pointwise $\forall R\in C^1({ℝ}^3,\mathrm{SO}\left(3\right)):\parallel \mathrm{Curl}\left[R\right]·R^T{\parallel }_{{𝕄}^{3\times 3}}^2\ge \frac{1}{2}{\parallel \mathrm{D}R\parallel }_{{ℝ}^{27}}^2$. This result complements rigidity results [Friesecke, James and Müller, Comme Pure Appl. Math.55 (2002) 1461–1506; John, Comme Pure Appl. Math.14 (1961) 391–413; Reshetnyak, Siberian Math. J.8 (1967) 631–653)] as well as an associated linearized theorem saying...