Elastic bodies reinforced with inextensible surfaces

The constraint of in-plane rigidity is examined within the general framework of the theory of internally constrained materials. It is shown that, for in-plane rigid materials, local strain and active stress are both defined by vectorial quantities. Representation formulae for the elastic response mapping are established in the cases of transverse isotropy and maximal symmetry, compatible with the constraint manifold. The equilibrium problem for an elastic body reinforced with parallel inextensible planes is also considered. In particular, universal solutions for bodies with maximal material symmetry are determined within the class of deformations which leave rigid every reinforcing plane.