Abstract
A stress/strain law is derived for a hydrogen-bonded network that is isotropic for all strains. The calculus of variations is used in conjunction with the Principle of Least Work to obtain the distribution of strain among the hydrogen bonds of the system as a function of their orientation . In addition to unidirectional applied stress, the theory can be used to predict the effects of two- and three-dimensional tension. The solution for unidirectional strain is compared with a modified form of the original treatment of the theory by Nissan and experimental evidence is used to corroborate the postulate that these two solutions `bracket’ the stress/strain behaviour for anisotropic (oriented) systems .
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