Rigorous analysis of shape transitions in frustrated elastic ribbons

Abstract: Ribbons are elastic bodies of thickness $t$ and width $w$, where $t\ll w\ll 1$. Many ribbons in nature have a non-trivial internal geometry, making them incompatible with the Euclidean space; this incompatibility, which can be represented as a failure of the Gauss-Codazzi equations for surfaces, often results in shape transitions between narrow and wide ribbons. These transitions depend on the internal geometry: ribbons whose incompatibility arises from failure of the Gauss equation always exhibit a transition, whereas some, but not all, of those whose incompatibility arises from failure of the Codazzi equations do. We give the first rigorous analysis of this behavior, mainly for ribbons whose first fundamental form is flat: for Gauss-incompatible ribbons we identify the natural energy scaling of the problem and prove the existence of a shape transition, and for Codazzi-incompatible ribbons we give a necessary condition for a transition to occur. The results are obtained by calculating the $\Gamma$-limits, as $t,w\to 0$, for narrow ribbons ($w^2 \ll t$), and wide ribbons (taking $t$ to zero and then $w$), in the natural energy scalings dictated by the internal geometry.