title: Spiral patterns in the packing of flexible structures.
abstract: Spiral patterns are found to be a generic feature in close-packed elastic structures. We describe model experiments of compaction of quasi-1D sheets into quasi-2D containers that allow simultaneous quantitative measurements of mechanical forces and observation of folded configurations. Our theoretical approach shows how the interplay between elasticity and geometry leads to a succession of bifurcations responsible for the emergence of such patterns. Both experimental forces and shapes are also reproduced without any adjustable parameters.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 Rue Lhomond, Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boué
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adda-Bedia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boudaoud
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cassani
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Couder
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eddi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trejo
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D008968:Molecular Conformation