Stretching to bend: tension-induced curving of textured soft ribbons

A smooth elastic ribbon put under tension undergoes transverse contraction owing to Poisson effect. Thicker ribs of the same material placed on the surface of the ribbon give rise to an effective bilayer, which results in the transverse bending of the textured ribbon upon stretching. We study this phenomenon through model experiments, and describe analytically how the orientation and geometry of the decorating ribs influence the sign and amplitude of the curvature. We also describe the instability that leads to the buckling of the most slender surface ribs.