diff --git a/code/IO.f90 b/code/IO.f90
index 87df43c5a..9cbe14a7d 100644
--- a/code/IO.f90
+++ b/code/IO.f90
@@ -866,14 +866,17 @@ end function IO_fixedIntValue
 pure function IO_lc(line)
 
  implicit none
+ character(26), parameter :: lower = 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz'
+ character(26), parameter :: upper = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ' 
  character(len=*), intent(in) :: line
  character(len=len(line))     :: IO_lc
  
- integer                      :: i                      ! no pInt (len returns default integer)
+ integer                      :: i,n                      ! no pInt (len returns default integer)
 
  IO_lc = line
  do i=1,len(line)
-    if(64<iachar(line(i:i)) .and. iachar(line(i:i))<91) IO_lc(i:i)=achar(iachar(line(i:i))+32)
+   n = index(upper,IO_lc(i:i))
+   if (n/=0) IO_lc(i:i) = lower(n:n)
  enddo
 
 end function IO_lc
@@ -885,16 +888,21 @@ end function IO_lc
 subroutine IO_lcInplace(line)
 
  implicit none
+ character(26), parameter :: lower = 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz'
+ character(26), parameter :: upper = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ' 
  character(len=*), intent(inout) :: line
  character(len=len(line))        :: IO_lc
 
- integer                         ::  i                   ! no pInt (len returns default integer)
+ integer                         :: i,n                   ! no pInt (len returns default integer)
 
- IO_lc = line
  do i=1,len(line)
-    if(64<iachar(line(i:i)) .and. iachar(line(i:i))<91) IO_lc(i:i)=achar(iachar(line(i:i))+32)
+   n = index(upper,line(i:i))
+   if (n/=0) then 
+     IO_lc(i:i) = lower(n:n)
+   else
+     IO_lc(i:i) = line(i:i)
+   endif 
  enddo
- line = IO_lc
 
  end subroutine IO_lcInplace
 
@@ -1212,7 +1220,9 @@ subroutine IO_error(error_ID,e,i,g,ext_msg)
  !* plasticity error messages
 
  case (200_pInt)
-   msg = 'unknown plasticity specified'
+   msg = 'unknown elasticity specified:' 
+ case (201_pInt)
+   msg = 'unknown plasticity specified:' 
  case (205_pInt)
    msg = 'unknown lattice structure encountered'
 
@@ -1282,12 +1292,13 @@ subroutine IO_error(error_ID,e,i,g,ext_msg)
    msg = 'Prime-error: N must be between 0 and PRIME_MAX'
  case (407_pInt)
    msg = 'Dimension in nearest neigbor search wrong'
+ case (408_pInt)
+   msg = 'Polar decomposition error'
  case (450_pInt)
    msg = 'unknown symmetry type specified'
  case (460_pInt)
    msg = 'kdtree2 error'
 
-
  !* homogenization errors
 
  case (500_pInt)
diff --git a/code/constitutive.f90 b/code/constitutive.f90
index 6a97d5a00..465580076 100644
--- a/code/constitutive.f90
+++ b/code/constitutive.f90
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ subroutine constitutive_init
                      material_localFileExt, &    
                      material_configFile, &    
                      phase_name, &
+                     phase_elasticity, &
                      phase_plasticity, &
                      phase_plasticityInstance, &
                      phase_Noutput, &
@@ -211,6 +212,14 @@ endif
     myNgrains = homogenization_Ngrains(mesh_element(3,e)) 
     do i = 1_pInt,FE_Nips(mesh_element(2,e))                   ! loop over IPs
       do g = 1_pInt,myNgrains                                  ! loop over grains
+        select case(phase_elasticity(material_phase(g,i,e)))  
+
+          case (constitutive_hooke_label)
+                                                               ! valid elasticity but nothing to do             
+          case default
+            call IO_error(200_pInt,ext_msg=trim(phase_elasticity(material_phase(g,i,e))))      ! unknown elasticity
+           
+        end select
         myInstance = phase_plasticityInstance(material_phase(g,i,e))
         select case(phase_plasticity(material_phase(g,i,e)))  
         
@@ -361,7 +370,7 @@ endif
             constitutive_sizePostResults(g,i,e) =    constitutive_nonlocal_sizePostResults(myInstance)
             
           case default
-            call IO_error(200_pInt,material_phase(g,i,e))      ! unknown plasticity
+            call IO_error(201_pInt,ext_msg=trim(phase_plasticity(material_phase(g,i,e))))      ! unknown plasticity
            
         end select
         constitutive_partionedState0(g,i,e)%p = constitutive_state0(g,i,e)%p