On the theory of heat for micromorphic bodies

The paper deals with the problem of heat flow in a micromorphic continua with microtemperatures. The master balance laws of micromorphic continua established by Eringen [Int. J. Eng. Sci. 8 (1970) 819] and the entropy balance postulated by Green and Naghdi [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 357 (1977) 253] are used to obtain a new theory of heat for materials with inner structure. The theory permits propagation of heat as thermal waves at finite speed. In the framework of the linear theory a uniqueness result and a solution of Galerkin type are established. The effect of concentrated loads is also studied.