Crumpling

<p>In <a href="/facts/Geometry/wTQf5ffQ">geometry</a> and <a href="/facts/Topology/2EqW47cU">topology</a>, crumpling is the process whereby a sheet of <a href="/facts/Paper/FUETwwKV">paper</a> or other two-dimensional <a href="/facts/Manifold/rXPERJtu">manifold</a> undergo disordered <a href="/facts/Deformation_(engineering)/z1LEmkQX">deformation</a> to yield a <a href="/facts/Three-dimensional_space/KAqKWUbS">three-dimensional</a> structure comprising a random network of <a href="/facts/Face_(geometry)/T2E6BTU4">ridges</a> and <a href="/facts/Facet/E3dBT4u9">facets</a> with variable density. The geometry of crumpled structures is of interest to mathematicians studying topology. Crumpled paper balls have been studied and found to exhibit surprisingly complex structures with <a href="/facts/Compressive_strength/qVWDPDvo">compressive strength</a> resulting from <a href="/facts/Friction/d0108Rpu">frictional</a> interactions at <a href="/facts/Local_property/sdBEwIy2">locally</a> flat facets between folds. The unusually high compressive strength of crumpled structures relative to their density is of interest in the disciplines of <a href="/facts/Materials_science/N5HrXRYW">materials science</a> and <a href="/facts/Mechanical_engineering/cbId4fye">mechanical engineering</a>.
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Crumpling open-in-new

Crumpling