CAM colloquium - April 30 (Joint with IGERT Program in Nonlinear Systems)

L. Mahadevan
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard University

"Draping, wrinkling and crumpling"

Bending a thin sheet is easier than stretching it, an observation which has its roots in geometry rather than physics. The consequences of this simple fact allows us to analyze many examples involving the large deformations of thin elastic sheets. I will start by considering the aesthetic drapes of a fabric, briefly discuss the intricate folds in origami, and the wrinkles in an elephant's trunk, and close with a discussion of the violently crumpled sheet that is the fate of many a calculation gone awry. See paper: http://www.cam.cornell.edu/colloquia/s04seminars/DrapingPNAS.pdf.