Gravity-induced wrinkle lines in vertical membranes

Abstract

A theory is presented for the behaviour under self-weight of inextensible but perfectly flexible membranes supported in a vertical plane. Slack in the membrane manifests itself in the formation of (curved) wrinkle lines whose determination is the prime objective. The equilibrium and strain conditions are derived and solutions are given for several simple cases. It is shown that the wrinkle lines satisfy the one-dimensional diffusion equation and hence there are analogies, for example, with heat flow through a slab.