Fractal design for an efficient shell strut under gentle compressive loading

الأصل · EN

Because of Euler buckling, a simple strut of length L and Young modulus Y requires a volume of material proportional to L³ f¹/² in order to support a compressive force F, where f=F/YL² and f≪ 1. By taking into account both Euler and local buckling, we provide a hierarchical design for such a strut consisting of intersecting curved shells, which requires a volume of material proportional to the much smaller quantity L³ f[2√(3)(f⁻¹)].