Relative motion of continua with applications to the analysis of nonlinear problems by the finite element method

The present paper investigates deformations within a solid body assuming that the deformations observed from a fixed coordinate system are composed of two parts, a relative deformation and that of a coordinate system moving arbitrarily, i.e., being deformable with respect to the fixed one. When we apply the finite element method deformations of the solid body (or the finite element mesh moving together with it) are regarded as relative deformations with respect to the coordinate system having a prescribed motion and deformation.