Optimal reinforcing networks for elastic membranes

In this paper we study the optimal reinforcement of an elastic membrane, fixed at its boundary, by means of a network (connected one-dimensional structure), that has to be found in a suitable admissible class. We show the existence of an optimal network, and observe that such network carries a multiplicity that in principle can be strictly larger than one. Some numerical simulations are shown to confirm this issue and to illustrate the complexity of the optimal network when the total length becomes large.