Over the last few decades, research in elastic-plastic torsion theory, electrostatic screening, and rubber-like nonlinear elastomers has pointed the way to some interesting new classes of minimum problems for energy functionals of the calculus of variations. This advanced-level monograph addresses these issues by developing the framework of a general theory of integral representation, relaxation, and homogenization for unbounded functionals.
The first part of the book builds the foundation for the general theory with concepts and tools from convex analysis, measure theory, and the theory...