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Structure and mechanics of the iris leaf

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Abstract

The structure of the iris leaf resembles that of a sandwich beam with fibre composite faces separated by a low-density foam core. Such structures have a high specific stiffness because the separation of the faces by the lightweight core increases the moment of inertia of the section with little increase in weight. In this paper we examine the structure of the leaf of the bearded iris and show that its flexural stiffness can be explained in terms of the mechanics of sandwich beams.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 02139, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    L. J. Gibson

  2. Engineering Department, Cambridge University, Trumpington Street, CB2 1PZ, Cambridge, UK

    M. F. Ashby

  3. Department of Engineering Materials, University of Lueå, S-95187, Luleå, Sweden

    K. E. Easterling

Authors
  1. L. J. Gibson
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  2. M. F. Ashby
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  3. K. E. Easterling
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Gibson, L.J., Ashby, M.F. & Easterling, K.E. Structure and mechanics of the iris leaf. J Mater Sci 23, 3041–3048 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00551271

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00551271

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