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Geometrically Controlled Snapping Transitions in Shells with Curved Creases

An article by Nakul Bende, Ryan Hayward, and co-workers establishes a simple design principle for how local weakening of an elastic shell can give rise to either smooth folding or snap-through transitions between bistable states, depending on the geometry of the weakened “crease” line. This principle opens the door to the design and fabrication of a wide range of materials capable of rapid reconfiguration between well-defined three-dimensional states. The details of the new study appear in the September issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

UMass News & Media

PNAS

September 26, 2015