Gebran, Hicham G.Stuart, Charles A.2010-11-302010-11-302010-11-30200910.1515/ans-2009-0408https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/59494WOS:000273359900008We consider quasilinear systems of second order elliptic equations on R-N. Using a continuation theorem based on the topological degree for C-1-Fredholm maps, we derive global properties of a maximal connected set of solutions which decay exponentially to zero at infinity. These results are used to treat a problem concerning the equilibrium of an elastic body occupying the whole space and subjected to a one parameter family of localized external forces.quasilinear elliptic equationsdegree for Fredholm mapsnonlinear elasticityNonlinear ElasticityProperness PropertiesFredholm MappingsBifurcation2Nd-OrderOperatorsTheoremsBranchestext::journal::journal article::research article