Classical beam models do not account for partial restraint of anticlastic bending and are therefore inherently inaccurate. This article proposes a modification of the exact Bernoulli–Euler equation which allows for an exact prediction of the beam's deflection without the need of two-dimensional finite element calculations. This approach offers a substantial reduction in the computational effort, especially when coupled with a fast-solving schema like the circle-arc method. Besides the description of the new method and its validation, this article offers an insight into the somewhat disregarded topic of anticlastic bending by a short review of the published theories and a selection of representative numerical results.

The thermal shape recovery shown by shape memory alloys is a property that makes these materials very attractive for applications in the field of smart structures, e.g. bending actuators. This article shows a design method for coaxial bimorphs that are composed of a linear-elastic and shape memory alloy component, properly coupled. A simple and effective method is proposed to solve for the component designs in order to achieve given bimorph configurations. Analytical examples and finite-element simulations are shown for the case of assigned bimorph's warm shape.