Fractal mechanics

Abstract: A mechanical theory of fractals and of non-smooth objects in general is developed on the basis of the theory of differential spaces of Sikorski. Once the (generally infinite dimensional) configuration space is identified, an extended form of the principle of virtual work is used to define the concept of generalized force and stress. For the case of self-similar fractals, an appropriate integration based on the Hausdorff measure is introduced and applied to the numerical formulation of stiffness matrices of some common fractals, which can be used in a finite element implementation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]