Elastic knots

We study the mechanical response of elastic rods bent into open knots, focusing on the case of trefoil and cinquefoil topologies. The limit of a weak applied tensile force is studied both analytically and experimentally: the Kirchhoff equations with self-contact are solved by means of matched asympt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 99; no. 16; p. 164301
Main Authors Audoly, B, Clauvelin, N, Neukirch, S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 19.10.2007
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Summary:We study the mechanical response of elastic rods bent into open knots, focusing on the case of trefoil and cinquefoil topologies. The limit of a weak applied tensile force is studied both analytically and experimentally: the Kirchhoff equations with self-contact are solved by means of matched asymptotic expansions; predictions on both the geometrical and mechanical properties of the elastic equilibrium are compared to experiments. The extension of the theory to tight knots is discussed.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.164301