Buckling of a soap film spanning a flexible loop resistant to bending and twisting

Abstract

A generalization of the Euler-Plateau problem to account for the energy contribution due to twisting of the bounding loop is proposed. Euler-Lagrange equations are derived in a parametrized setting and a buckling analysis is performed. A pair of dimensionless parameters govern buckling from a flat, circular ground state. While one of these is familiar from the Euler-Plateau problem, the other encompasses information about the ratio of the torsional rigidity to the bending rigidity, the twist density and the size of the loop. For sufficiently small values of the latter parameter, two separate groups of buckling modes are identified. However, for values of that parameter exceeding the critical twist density arising in Michell's study of the stability of a twisted elastic ring, only one group of buckling modes exists. Buckling diagrams indicate that a loop with greater torsional rigidity shows more resistance to transverse buckling. Additionally, a twisted flexible loop spanned by a soap film buckles at a value of the twist density less that the value at which buckling would occur if the soap film were absent.