8 papers
Metric Implications in the Kinematics of Surfaces
Andre M. Sonnet, Epifanio G. Virga
In the direct approach to continua in reduced space dimensions, a thin shell is described as a mathematical surface in three-dimensional space. An exploratory kinematic study of su…
Work and Activation in a Nematic Polymer Network Ribbon
H. Singh, K. Suryanarayanan, E. G. Virga
We study spontaneous deformations of a ribbon made of nematic polymer networks and activated under the action of a mechanical load. We show that when such ribbons are activated app…
Neutral Deformation Modes of Minimal Surfaces
Ande M. Sonnet, Epifanio G. Virga
Stretching, drilling, and bending are the independent deformation modes of a thin shell, each of which has an individual energy content. When the energy content of a mode vanishes,…
Surface Nematic Quasi-Uniformity
Andrea Pedrini, Epifanio G. Virga
Line fields on surfaces are a means to describe the nematic order that may pattern them. The least distorted nematic fields are called uniform, but they can only exist on surfaces…
Singular Damped Twist Waves in Chromonic Liquid Crystals
Silvia Paparini, Epifanio G. Virga
Chromonics are special classes of nematic liquid crystals, for which a quartic elastic theory seems to be more appropriate than the classical quadratic Oseen-Frank theory. The rela…
Surface Nematic Uniformity
Andrea Pedrini, Epifanio G. Virga
An ant-like observer confined to a two-dimensional surface traversed by stripes would wonder whether this striped landscape could be devised in such a way as to appear to be the sa…