Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 164301 (2007) [4 pages]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 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. © 2007 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.164301
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.164301
PACS:
46.25.−y, 46.70.Hg
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