  We study the origins of multiple mechanically stable states exhibited by an
elastic shell comprising multiple conical frusta, a geometry common to
reconfigurable corrugated structures such as `bendy straws'. This
multistability is characterized by mechanical stability of axially extended and
collapsed states, as well as a partially inverted `bent' state that exhibits
stability in any azimuthal direction. To understand the origin of this
behavior, we study how geometry and internal stress affect the stability of
linked conical frusta. We find that tuning geometrical parameters such as the
frustum heights and cone angles can provide axial bistability, whereas
stability in the bent state requires a sufficient amount of internal
pre-stress, resulting from a mismatch between the natural and geometric
curvatures of the shell. We analyze the latter effect through curvature
analysis during deformation using X-ray computed tomography (CT), and with a
simple mechanical model that captures the qualitative behavior of these highly
reconfigurable systems.
