Rebecca Vandiver
Differential growth and residual stress in cylindrical elastic
structures
Abstract
Cylindrical forms are among one of nature's fundamental building blocks.
They serve many different purposes from sustaining body weight to carrying
flows. Their mechanical properties are generated through the often complex
arrangements of the walls. In particular, in many structures which have
elastic responses such as stems and arteries, the walls are in a state of
tension generated by differential growth. Here, we study the role of tissue
tension in the overall rigidity and stability of the cylinder. A detailed
analysis, based on nonlinear elasticity, of the effect of tissue tension on
the mechanical properties of growing cylinders reveal a subtle interplay
between geometry, growth, and nonlinear elastic responses that help
understand some of the remarkable properties of stems and arteries.
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