Criticality and isostaticity in fibre networks

In fibre networks, mechanical stability relies on the fibres’ bending resistance—in contrast to rubbers, where entropic stretching is the key. The extent to which the mechanics of fibre networks is controlled by bending is, however, an open question. The study of a general lattice-based model of fibrous networks now reveals two rigidity critical points, one of which controls a rich crossover from stretching-dominated to bending-dominated behaviour.