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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Scaling Behavior in Non-Hookean Compression of Thin-Walled Structures

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The mechanics and stability of thin-walled structures is a challenging and important branch in structural mechanics. Under vertical compression the deformation of a thin-walled box differs from that of, e.g., a cylindrical shell. It is demonstrated here that compression of a box can be described by a set of generic scaling laws representing three successive regimes: a linear, wrinkled, and collapsed regime. The linear Hookean regime represents the normal behavior before any instability sets in, while the following wrinkled regime is shown to be analogous to compression of thin-film blisters. The compression force reaches its maximum at the onset of the final collapsed regime that has all the characteristics of membrane crumpling. The theoretical scaling laws were confirmed by numerical simulations.