Cavitation in elastic membranes - an example (Q1202511)

A direct theory is used, in which the membrane is regarded as a two- dimensional elastic continuum. Cavitation is studied for strain energy, which is a function of two principal stretches. Section 2 is devoted to a brief account of certain aspects for isotropic elastic membranes. The theory is applied to a solid circular disc whose edge displacement is prescribed. For a critical value, a deformation containing a central cavity is possible.