Rigorous analysis of shape transitions in frustrated elastic ribbons

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Maor, Cy, Mora, Maria Giovanna
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866917206919479296
author Maor, Cy
Mora, Maria Giovanna
author_facet Maor, Cy
Mora, Maria Giovanna
contents Ribbons are elastic bodies of thickness $t$ and width $w$ with $t\ll w\ll 1$ (after appropriate nondimensionalization). Many ribbons in nature have a non-trivial internal geometry, making them incompatible with Euclidean space. This incompatibility -- expressed mathematically as a failure of the Gauss-Codazzi equations for surfaces -- can trigger shape transitions between narrow and wide ribbons. These transitions depend on the internal geometry: ribbons whose incompatibility arises from failure of the Gauss equation always exhibit a transition, whereas those whose incompatibility arises from failure of the Codazzi equations, may or may not. We give the first rigorous analysis of this phenomenon, mainly for ribbons whose first fundamental form is flat. For Gauss-incompatible ribbons we identify the natural energy scaling of the problem and prove the existence of a shape transition. For Codazzi-incompatible ribbons we give a necessary condition for a transition to occur. Furthermore, our study reveals a fundamental distinction: the transition is "microscopic" for Gauss-incompatible ribbons, persisting as the width tends to $0$, whereas it is "mesoscopic" for Codazzi-incompatible ribbons, observable only at small but finite width. The results are obtained by calculating the $Γ$-limits, as $t,w\to 0$, for narrow ribbons ($w^2 \ll t$), and wide ribbons (taking $t$ to zero and then $w$), in the natural energy scalings dictated by the internal geometry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_11779
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Rigorous analysis of shape transitions in frustrated elastic ribbons
Maor, Cy
Mora, Maria Giovanna
Analysis of PDEs
Mathematical Physics
74K10, 74K20, 74B20, 49J45, 53Z05
Ribbons are elastic bodies of thickness $t$ and width $w$ with $t\ll w\ll 1$ (after appropriate nondimensionalization). Many ribbons in nature have a non-trivial internal geometry, making them incompatible with Euclidean space. This incompatibility -- expressed mathematically as a failure of the Gauss-Codazzi equations for surfaces -- can trigger shape transitions between narrow and wide ribbons. These transitions depend on the internal geometry: ribbons whose incompatibility arises from failure of the Gauss equation always exhibit a transition, whereas those whose incompatibility arises from failure of the Codazzi equations, may or may not. We give the first rigorous analysis of this phenomenon, mainly for ribbons whose first fundamental form is flat. For Gauss-incompatible ribbons we identify the natural energy scaling of the problem and prove the existence of a shape transition. For Codazzi-incompatible ribbons we give a necessary condition for a transition to occur. Furthermore, our study reveals a fundamental distinction: the transition is "microscopic" for Gauss-incompatible ribbons, persisting as the width tends to $0$, whereas it is "mesoscopic" for Codazzi-incompatible ribbons, observable only at small but finite width. The results are obtained by calculating the $Γ$-limits, as $t,w\to 0$, for narrow ribbons ($w^2 \ll t$), and wide ribbons (taking $t$ to zero and then $w$), in the natural energy scalings dictated by the internal geometry.
title Rigorous analysis of shape transitions in frustrated elastic ribbons
topic Analysis of PDEs
Mathematical Physics
74K10, 74K20, 74B20, 49J45, 53Z05
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.11779