Fusion of two stable elastic structures resulting in an unstable system

Abstract

It is shown that a compound elastic structure, which displays a dynamic instability, may be designed as the union (or ‘fusion’) of two structures which are stable when separately analysed. The compound elastic structure has two degrees of freedom and is made up of a rigid rod connected with two springs to a smooth support, which evidences a jump in the curvature at the equilibrium configuration. Instability is proven in a linearized context and is related to the application of a non-conservative load of the follower type so that the instability disappears under dead loads. In the fully nonlinear range, the instability is also confirmed through numerical simulations. The obtained results may be useful in the design of new mechanical sensors, devices for energy harvesting, or architected materials. In addition, our findings have conceptual implications on piecewise-linear theories of mechanics such as for instance plasticity or frictional contact.