This much-needed monograph presents a systematic, step-by-step approach to the continuum modeling of flow phenomena exhibited within materials endowed with a complex internal microstructure, such as polymers and liquid crystals. By combining the principles of Hamiltonian mechanics with those of irreversible thermodynamics, Antony N. Beris and Brian J. Edwards, renowned authorities on the subject, expertly describe the complex interplay between conservative and dissipative processes. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize the evaluation of the free energy--largely based on ideas from...