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  • Open Access

Snap-Through Time of Arches Is Controlled by Slenderness and Imperfections

William T. Simpkins* and Matthew G. Hennessy†

Matteo Taffetani‡

  • School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1 TW, United Kingdom

  • *Contact author: will.simpkins@bristol.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: matthew.hennessy@bristol.ac.uk
  • ‡Contact author: matteo.taffetani@ed.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 178202 – Published 29 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4vh7-2ztw

Abstract

Snap through occurs in elastic structures when a stable equilibrium configuration becomes unstable, resulting in rapid motion towards a new and distinct stable state. While static analyses of snap through are well documented, the dynamics of snap through remain underexplored, particularly in structures with natural curvature. Using a combination of finite element simulations and multiple-scales analysis, we show that the snap-through dynamics of an arch under a central point load are controlled by its slenderness and imperfections embedded in the system. As the slenderness increases, the snap-through dynamics slow down, and the mode of snap through changes from limit-point buckling to bifurcation buckling. When bifurcation buckling occurs, snap through is preceded by an extended period of oscillatory behavior. The duration of these pre-snap-through oscillations, and hence the snap-through time, is entirely controlled by imperfections in the system. Increasing the strength of imperfections dramatically reduces the snap-through time. Analytical expressions for the snap-through times are presented for limit-point and bifurcation buckling. Our Letter suggests that natural curvature and deliberately introduced imperfections can be used to tune the snap-through dynamics of new functional materials.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 178202– Published 29 April, 2026
  • Received 11 August 2025
  • Accepted 16 March 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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