Theory 46/Organism/Limb design
Limb Length Is Bending Against Buckling
The claim
Maximum limb length is set by the ratio of bending strength to buckling load, so a slender limb fails by buckling before it fails in bending.
01Mechanism
Long thin columns buckle under compression; the ratio of length to radius determines which failure mode dominates.
02Prediction
Failure mode should switch at a length ratio.
03Refutation
Failure tracking load alone would remove geometry.