Mechanical Origin of Flexibility and Functionality in Slender Structures

Abstract

Thin structures and slender structures span more than ten orders of magnitude in scale; the examples include arches, buildings, toys, plants, and, down to micro-scales, membranes, flagella and cilia. Although the solid mechanics to describe such structures has a long history of studies over a few centuries, its new paradigm relevant to form, geometry and functionality is currently growing in physics communities. In this article, we review a modern framework for mechanics of slender structures and recent advances, highlighting the underlying common themes in seemingly disparate fields in physics.