Spacetime interpretation of Torsion in Prismatic Bodies
arXiv:1109.3533
Abstract
A non-linear theory for the plastic deformation of prismatic bodies is constructed which interpolates between Prandtl's linear soap-film approximation and Nádai's sand-pile model . Geometrically Prandtl's soap film and Nádai's wavefront are unified into a single smooth surface of constant mean curvature in three-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Although the theory is non-linear, a general solution may be given in terms of a freely specifiable holomorphic function of a single complex variable.
7 pages, one figure. Substantially revised: version accepted for Journal of Elasticity