On the asymptotic spatial behavior in linear thermoelasticity of materials with voids

The comparison principle involving solutions of the one-dimensional heat equation is used to investigate the spatial decay of solutions to initial-boundary value problems for the linear theory of thermoelasticity with voids. A spatial decay estimate is established for an appropriate volumetric measure of the solution in an unbounded body. This proves that at large distances from the support of the external given data the decay of the mechanical and thermal effects is controlled only by the thermal characteristic coefficients of the material.