Theory of liquid crystals as an example of mesoscopic continuum mechanics

The mesoscopic concept in continuum mechanics consists of extending the domain of the balance equations by the set of mesoscopic variables and of introducing a local distribution function of these variables as a statistical element. The mesoscopic balance equations defined on this extended domain are considered. The liquid crystals theory of uniaxial molecules represents one example of mesoscopic continuum mechanics. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.