Understanding the generation of mechanical stress in drying, particle-laden films is important for a wide range of industrial processes. One way to study these stresses is through the cantilever experiment, whereby a thin film is deposited onto the surface of a thin plate that is clamped at one end to a wall. The stresses that are generated in the film during drying are transmitted to the plate and drive bending. Mathematical modelling enables the film stress to be inferred from measurements of the plate deflection. The aim of this paper is to present simplified models of the cantilever experiment that have been derived from the time-dependent equations of continuum mechanics using asymptotic methods. The film is described using nonlinear poroelasticity and the plate using nonlinear elasticity. In contrast to Stoney-like formulae, the simplified models account for films with non-uniform thickness and stress. The film model reduces to a single differential equation that can be solved independently of the plate equations. The plate model reduces to an extended form of the Föppl-von Kármán (FvK) equations that accounts for gradients in the longitudinal traction acting on the plate surface. Consistent boundary conditions for the FvK equations are derived by resolving the Saint-Venant boundary layers at the free edges of the plate. The asymptotically reduced models are in excellent agreement with finite element solutions of the full governing equations. As the Péclet number increases, the time evolution of the plate deflection changes from $t$ to $t^{1/2}$, in agreement with experiments.

We study ribbons of vanishing Gaussian curvature, i.e. flat ribbons, constructed along a curve in $\mathbb {R}^{3}$. In particular, we first investigate to which extent the ruled structure determines a flat ribbon: in other words, we ask whether for a given curve $\gamma$ and ruling angle (angle between the ruling line and the curve's tangent) there exists a well-defined flat ribbon. It turns out that the answer is positive only up to an initial condition, expressed by a choice of normal vector at a point. We then study the set of infinitely narrow flat ribbons along a fixed curve $\gamma$ in terms of energy. By extending a well-known formula for the bending energy of the rectifying developable, introduced in the literature by Sadowsky in 1930, we obtain an upper bound for the difference between the bending energies of two solutions of the initial value problem. We finally draw further conclusions under some additional assumptions on the ruling angle and the curve $\gamma$.

This paper is concerned with the problem of existence and uniqueness of weak and classical solutions for a fourth-order semilinear boundary value problem. The existence and uniqueness for weak solutions follows from standard variational methods, while similar uniqueness results for classical solutions are derived using maximum principles.

Chladni figures are formed when particles scattered across a plate move due to an external harmonic force resonating with one of the natural frequencies of the plate. Chladni figures are precisely the nodal set of the vibrational mode corresponding to the frequency resonating with the external force. We propose a plausible model for the movement of the particles that explains the formation of Chladni figures in terms of the stochastic stability of the equilibrium solutions of stochastic differential equations.

Fluid-structure-interaction problems are ubiquitous, complicated, and not yet well understood. In this paper we investigate the interaction of a leading rigid circular cylinder and a trailing compliant filament and analyze the dynamic responses of the filament in the wake of the cylinder. It is revealed that there exist two flapping states of the filament depending on the cylinder-filament separation distance and the relevant critical distance distinguishing the two states is associated with the Reynolds number and the filament length. It is also found that the drag coefficient of the cylinder is reduced but that of the filament may be increased or decreased depending on its length. Compared with a single filament in a uniform flow, the filament of the same mechanical properties flapping in the wake of the cylinder has a lower frequency and a greater amplitude.

In this paper, a new displacement based high-order shear deformation theory is introduced for the static response of functionally graded plate. Unlike any other theory, the number of unknown functions involved is only four, as against five in case of other shear deformation theories. The theory presented is variationally consistent, has strong similarity with classical plate theory in many aspects, does not require shear correction factor, and gives rise to transverse shear stress variation such that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness satisfying shear stress free surface conditions. The mechanical properties of the plate are assumed to vary continuously in the thickness direction by a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Numerical illustrations concerned flexural behavior of FG plates with Metal-Ceramic composition. Parametric studies are performed for varying ceramic volume fraction, volume fraction profiles, aspect ratios and length to thickness ratios. The validity of the present theory is investigated by comparing some of the present results with those of the classical, the first-order and the other higher-order theories. It can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and simple in solving the static behavior of functionally graded plates.