# Viscoelastic Constitutive Artificial Neural Networks (vCANNs) - a framework for data-driven anisotropic nonlinear finite viscoelasticity

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.12164 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12164/

## Key facts

- Cited by 13 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 110 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Mar 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Convex optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.01946/) (2021)
- [Machine learning in cardiovascular flows modeling: Predicting arterial blood pressure from non-invasive 4D flow MRI data using physics-informed neural networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.04817/) (2019)
- [A new family of Constitutive Artificial Neural Networks towards automated model discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.02202/) (2022)
- [Model-Free Data-Driven Inelasticity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1808.10859/) (2018)
- [Finite electro-elasticity with physics-augmented neural networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.05139/) (2022)
- [FEANN - An efficient data-driven multiscale approach based on physics-constrained neural networks and automated data mining](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.01045/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Can KAN CANs? Input-convex Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs) as hyperelastic constitutive artificial neural networks (CANs)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05617/) (2025)
- [Accounting for plasticity: An extension of inelastic Constitutive Artificial Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.19326/) (2024)
- [Automated Model Discovery for Tensional Homeostasis: Constitutive Machine Learning in Growth and Remodeling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.13645/) (2024)
- [Inelastic Constitutive Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks: A generalized framework for automated discovery of interpretable inelastic material models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.17750/) (2026)
- [Automating modeling in mechanics: LLMs as designers of physics-constrained neural networks for constitutive modeling of materials](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.01735/) (2025)
- [A Convex Route to Thermoelasticity: Learning Internal Energy and Dissipation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.28707/) (2026)
- [A thermodynamically consistent physics-informed deep learning material model for short fiber/polymer nanocomposites](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.18310/) (2024)
- [LLM-driven design of physics-constrained constitutive models: two agents are better than one](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.23754/) (2026)
- [Discovering Thermodynamically Admissible Dissipation Potentials via Grammar-Based Symbolic Regression](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.31532/) (2026)
- [Automatic-Differentiation-Enabled Finite Element Model Updating: Learning Constitutive Neural Networks from Structural Deformation Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.05199/) (2026)
- [CANN-EUCLID: unsupervised constitutive artificial neural network model discovery from full-field data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.14565/) (2026)
- [Learning the Constitutive Behavior of Materials via Neural Operators and Causal Attention: Case Studies in Plasticity and Damage](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.02194/) (2026)
- [Data-Driven Discovery of Composition-Dependent Constitutive Models for Hyperelasticity and Viscoelasticity of Digital Materials](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.04541/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The constitutive behavior of polymeric materials is often modeled by finite linear viscoelastic (FLV) or quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) models. These popular models are simplifications that typically cannot accurately capture the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of materials. For example, the success of attempts to capture strain rate-dependent behavior has been limited so far. To overcome this problem, we introduce viscoelastic Constitutive Artificial Neural Networks (vCANNs), a novel physics-informed machine learning framework for anisotropic nonlinear viscoelasticity at finite strains. vCANNs rely on the concept of generalized Maxwell models enhanced with nonlinear strain (rate)-dependent properties represented by neural networks. The flexibility of vCANNs enables them to automatically identify accurate and sparse constitutive models of a broad range of materials. To test vCANNs, we trained them on stress-strain data from Polyvinyl Butyral, the electro-active polymers VHB 4910 and 4905, and a biological tissue, the rectus abdominis muscle. Different loading conditions were considered, including relaxation tests, cyclic tension-compression tests, and blast loads. We demonstrate that vCANNs can learn to capture the behavior of all these materials accurately and computationally efficiently without human guidance.