A ZERO-STIFFNESS ELASTIC SHELL STRUCTURE

作者:Guest Simon D*; Kebadze Elizbar; Pellegrino Sergio
来源:Journal of Mechanics of Materials and Structures, 2011, 6(1-4): 203-212.
DOI:10.2140/jomms.2011.6.203

摘要

A remarkable shell structure is described that, due to a particular combination of geometry and initial stress, has zero stiffness for any finite deformation along a twisting path; the shell is in a neutrally stable state of equilibrium. Initially the shell is straight in a longitudinal direction, but has a constant, nonzero curvature in the transverse direction. If residual stresses are induced in the shell by, for example, plastic deformation, to leave a particular resultant bending moment, then an analytical inextensional model of the shell shows it to have no change in energy along a path of twisted configurations. Real shells become closer to the inextensional idealization as their thickness is decreased; experimental thin-shell models have confirmed the neutrally stable configurations predicted by the inextensional theory. A simple model is described that shows that the resultant bending moment that leads to zero stiffness gives the shell a hidden symmetry, which explains this remarkable property.

  • 出版日期2011-6