Configurational forces and their application in solid mechanics

The theory of configurational forces is presented within the non-linear dynamic framework. The configurational force balance is recast in a form which resembles the equation of motion. Specializations to statics and the small strain case are given. The general use of configurational forces is discussed by help of numerous examples. Additionally the occurrence of configurational forces in the Finite Element Method is illustrated. The numerically induced configurational forces can be used to improve the numerical resolution.