Airysche Spannungsfunktion und isotrope Differentialgeometrie (Q775656)

In the classical plane elasticity theory the Airy function \(z(x, y)\) plays an important role satisfying the equation \(\Delta\Delta z(x, y) = 0\), The author observes that this equation is invariant with respect to the group \(G_6\) of transformations \[x' = a + x \cos \varphi - y \sin \varphi,\quad y' =b + x \sin \varphi + y \cos \varphi,\quad z' = c + c_1x + c_2y +z \] which defines the isotropic geometry already developed by the same author [Math. Z. 47, 743--777 (1942; Zbl 0026.26301); 48, 369--427 (1942; Zbl 0027.25301); 50, 1--94 (1944; Zbl 0063.07216)], with the metric defined by the invariant form \(ds^2 = dx^2 + dy^2\). lt is therefore to be expected that the isotropic geometry of the Airy surface \(z = z(x, y)\) yields the elasticity properties. That this is so is actually proved by showing that all invariant notions concerning a surface in isotropic geometry (like isotropic normal curvature, geodesic torsion, principal curvatures, mean curvature, curvature lines) do have a definite meaning in elasticity theory. The interesting link so put in evidence between this theory and isotropic geometry is apt to give further results.