Folding of Solids as a Constitutive Instability and Configurational Forces in Elastic Structures
Davide Bigoni
Ingegneria Civile Ambientale e Meccanica Università di Trento, Italy
ABSTRACT: Davide Bigoni explores two problems, one of solid mechanics and one of structural mechanics, that address situations in which an elastic solid or structure is subject to extreme deformations. First, he presents the possibility of folding, as contrasted to bending, for a three-dimensional continuum. Folding is a process in which bending localizes into sharp corners separated by almost undeformed elements. Folding is rarely encountered in nature and is difficult to describe within the realm of the Cauchy theory of elasticity. On the other hand, Bigoni shows that folding can be understood as a constitutive instability of a constrained-Cosserat elastic material occurring at the elliptic boundary. The second problem addresses the possibility of generating Eshelby-like, or "configurational," forces in elastic structures. In particular, the nonlinear theory of elastic rods as a framework for describing configurational forces analogous, for instance, to those acting on dislocations in solids.
