Fluid-induced snap-through instability of spherical shells

2025/06/13 by Pier Giuseppe Ledda, Hemanshul Garg, Ledda, Pier Giuseppe +9 · 1 citation
Engineering · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Interactions #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.12247

openalex publication_date 2025/06/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We study the snapping instability of a spherical elastic shell induced by a viscous flow, the umbrella flipping problem when life is at low Reynolds numbers. We combine precision desktop-scale experiments, fluid-structure simulations, shell theory, fluid mechanics, and scaling analysis to determine the instability threshold as a function of the geometrical and material parameters of the system. Building on these findings, we devise a snapping-based valve that passively and abruptly alters the hydraulic resistance of a channel, offering robust flow control without active components. Beyond the application, our study presents what we believe to be a prototypical example of fluid-induced elastic instability in viscous flow, providing a foundation for future explorations in soft hydraulics and flow-responsive structures.

Cited by

• Acoustic-Assisted Fabrication of Thin Shells with Spatially Distributed Imperfections

Related

• Dehydration induced mechanical instabilities in active elastic spherical\n shells
• Sequential buckling in fluid-filled cylindrical shells
• Elastic Rayleigh-Plateau instability: Dynamical selection of nonlinear\n states
• Onset instability of inverted flags clamped by a cylinder
• Efficient snap-through of spherical caps by applying a localized curvature stimulus