Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abeyaratne, Rohan, Paroni, Roberto, Scardaoni, Marco Picchi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.13602
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911680917667840
author Abeyaratne, Rohan
Paroni, Roberto
Scardaoni, Marco Picchi
author_facet Abeyaratne, Rohan
Paroni, Roberto
Scardaoni, Marco Picchi
contents We propose a variational framework for accretive surface growth driven by an optimality principle. Rather than prescribing a kinetic law, the configuration at each time step is obtained, within a time-discrete setting, as the solution of a constrained minimization problem. Growth is modeled as an irreversible surface deposition process subject to a global mass constraint, while the driving mechanism is encoded in an objective functional, here taken to be the structural mean compliance. The approach is illustrated on a linearly elastic cantilever beam whose cross-sectional height evolves through layered accretion, possibly involving prestrain and precurvature. Growth-induced residual stresses can alter the convexity of the compliance functional, leading to nonuniqueness and localization phenomena. We explore the possibility of adding a regularization term penalizing deviations from the previous-step configuration. Finally, through a formal limiting procedure, we derive from the time-discrete formulation a time-continuous limit in the form of a constrained gradient flow.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_13602
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Surface Growth Driven by an Optimality Criterion
Abeyaratne, Rohan
Paroni, Roberto
Scardaoni, Marco Picchi
Mathematical Physics
We propose a variational framework for accretive surface growth driven by an optimality principle. Rather than prescribing a kinetic law, the configuration at each time step is obtained, within a time-discrete setting, as the solution of a constrained minimization problem. Growth is modeled as an irreversible surface deposition process subject to a global mass constraint, while the driving mechanism is encoded in an objective functional, here taken to be the structural mean compliance. The approach is illustrated on a linearly elastic cantilever beam whose cross-sectional height evolves through layered accretion, possibly involving prestrain and precurvature. Growth-induced residual stresses can alter the convexity of the compliance functional, leading to nonuniqueness and localization phenomena. We explore the possibility of adding a regularization term penalizing deviations from the previous-step configuration. Finally, through a formal limiting procedure, we derive from the time-discrete formulation a time-continuous limit in the form of a constrained gradient flow.
title Surface Growth Driven by an Optimality Criterion
topic Mathematical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.13602