This talk deals with the framework of GENERIC
(General Equation for Non-Equilibrium Reversible-Irreversible Coupling),
which was developed by H.C. Ottinger and M. Grmela for fluid mechanics
and recently
transferred by A. Mielke to solid mechanics.
This framework allows for the derivation of thermodynamically consistent
models, which may couple both reversible and irreversible, dissipative effects.
The GENERIC approach to thermomechanics directly involves functionals
and geometric structures,
rather than PDEs. In particular, it additionally highlights the role
of the energy as the
driving potential for reversible effects and the role of the entropy
as the driving
potential for irreversible effects.
In several examples we will discuss this modeling approach and we will show
that the thermomechanical systems stated in GENERIC yield the known
classical PDE systems.