Pantographic 2D sheets: Discussion of some numerical investigations and potential applications

• In the paper by dell׳Isola, Della Corte, Giorgio and Scerrato "Pantographic 2D sheets: discussion of some numerical investigations and potential applications" a numerical study of a (pantographic) mechanical system constituted by two arrays of parallel fibers, mutually connected by frictionless hinges, is performed. The fibers are modeled as Euler beams, and static and dynamic numerical results are provided. Several cases of wave propagation are examined, including internal discontinuities acting as a damper, crash of waves from opposite directions and waves originated by a system of self-equilibrated forces.

The study of generalized continuum models through the numerical investigation of discrete systems considered as an approximation to a homogenized continuum limit is nowadays a well-known research approach in mechanics. In the present paper, a system constituted by a large number of beams interconnected via ideal hinges, called here a pantographic sheet, is considered, and some numerical simulations concerning the static and dynamic analysis of the system are presented and discussed. The observed behavior significantly differs from what one would expect from ordinary first gradient continuum models. Moreover, interesting application possibilities entailed by the specific characteristics of the structure, and in particular by the strong non-linear behavior of the mechanical variables, are discussed.