In this chapter, we analyse non-uniform bending of single-layer cell tissues—epithelia, surrounding organs throughout the body. Dimensionally reduced model is suggested, which is equivalent to membranes with bending stiffness: the total elastic energy of the tissue is a combination of stretching and bending energies. The energy, suggested in this chapter, is a piecewise function, the branches of which correspond to a specific deformation regime: compression, pure bending and stretch.
Part of the book: Perusal of the Finite Element Method