Creep and recrystallization of large polycrystalline masses. I. General continuum theory

This is the first of a series of works on the continuum mechanics and thermodynamics of creep and recrystallization of large polycrystalline masses. The general continuum theory presented here is suited to mono- and multi-mineral rocks. It encompasses several symmetry groups (e.g. orthotropic and transversely isotropic) and diverse crystal classes of triclinic, monoclinic and rhombic systems, among others. The cornerstone of the current approach is the theory of mixtures with continuous diversity, which allows one to regard the polycrystal as a ‘mixture of lattice orientations’. Following this picture, balance equations of mass, linear momentum, lattice spin, energy, dislocations, and entropy are set forth to describe the response of the polycrystal (i.e. the ‘mixture’), as well as of a group of crystallites sharing the same lattice orientation ( viz . a ‘species’). The connection between the balance equations for a species and those for the mixture is established by homogenization rules, formulated for every field of the theory.