Fluids Versus Solids

We would like to construct a model that can handle elastic and viscoelastic solids, as well as Newtonian fluids. The standard treatment of Newtonian fluids differs slightly from that of a Newtonian dashpot in the context of viscous solids, so we begin by a brief review of standard fluid mechanics for Newtonian fluids. We then look at the similarities and differences between fluids and solids, and at possibilities to develop a unified constitutive law that can be locally specialized into either type as needed.