A sequence of elastic patterns in a sheared bent sheet

TL;DR

This paper investigates the complex sequence of elastic patterns and bifurcations in sheared bent sheets, revealing mechanisms like pattern coarsening, hysteresis, and force scaling, through experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces detailed experimental analysis of elastic pattern formation and bifurcations in sheared bent sheets, highlighting mechanisms like snaking and pattern coarsening.

Findings

Identification of localized elastic features and pattern inversion.

Evidence of hysteresis loops indicating snaking behavior.

Force required for pattern nucleation decreases with sheet length.

Abstract

We document a sequence of bifurcations and elastic patterns in sheared bent sheets of intermediate aspect ratio. The sheets undergo inversion of curvature through the passage of localized features, often in S-shaped pairs. Nested force-displacement hysteresis loops provide experimental evidence for snaking. Several mechanisms for coarsening and refinement of the patterns are observed, including splitting, merging, and escape through open boundaries. While most forces, including that required for full snap-through, scale with the length of the sheet, the initial drop in force upon pattern nucleation decreases rapidly with length.