Shape-retaining beam-like morphing structures via localized snap through

The study proposes a morphing structure made from an arch mounted on a compliant base. The structure can be reconfigured using snap-through buckling, and bistability helps it keep the new (morphed) shape after snapping. The authors extend this idea from single units to one-dimensional arrays, showing that localized snapping can produce beam-like structures with multiple morphologically distinct stable shapes. They model units using discrete elastic rods and reduced-order beam formulations. The results are validated with experiments. The paper also uses the model to study how geometric design parameters affect the response and final shape, and it describes a way to predict array shapes by combining single-unit simulation results. Finally, it uses this approach for inverse-designing structures that snap into target stable shapes.