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arXiv · 1009.1001

Statistical distributions in the folding of elastic structures

Mokhtar Adda-Bedia·Arezki Boudaoud·Laurent Boué·Stephanie Deboeuf
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Abstract

The behaviour of elastic structures undergoing large deformations is the result of the competition between confining conditions, self-avoidance and elasticity. This combination of multiple phenomena creates a geometrical frustration that leads to complex fold patterns. By studying the case of a rod confined isotropically into a disk, we show that the emergence of the complexity is associated with a well defined underlying statistical measure that determines the energy distribution of sub-elements,``branches'', of the rod. This result suggests that branches act as the ``microscopic'' degrees of freedom laying the foundations for a statistical mechanical theory of this athermal and amorphous system.

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Mokhtar Adda-Bedia, Arezki Boudaoud, Laurent Boué, Stephanie Deboeuf. 2010-09-06. Statistical distributions in the folding of elastic structures. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468%2F2010%2F11%2Fp11027

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