Related papers: Attractive and repulsive cracks in a heterogeneous…

We consider a model of fragmentation of sheet by cracks that move with a velocity in preferred direction, but undergo random transverse displacements as they move. There is a non-zero probability of crack-splitting, and the split cracks…

The shape of a crack front propagating through a thin sample is studied using a phase field model. The model is shown to have a well defined sharp interface limit. The crack front is found to be an ellipse with large axis the width of the…

We consider the quasi-static propagation of a Mode III crack along the interface in a bimaterial plane containing a finite array of small line defects (microcracks and rigid line inclusions). The microdefects are arranged to form a channel…

We study experimentally the slow growth of a single crack in a fibrous material and observe stepwise growth dynamics. We model the material as a lattice where the crack is pinned by elastic traps and grows due to thermally activated stress…

The growth of cracks combines materials science, fracture mechanics, and statistical physics. The importance of fluctuations in the crack velocity is fundamental since it signals that the crack overcomes local barriers such as tough spots…

We investigate the morphology and mechanics of a naturally curved elastic arch loaded at its center and frictionally supported at both ends on a flat, rigid substrate. Through systematic numerical simulations, we classify the observed…

We study the elasto-plastic behavior of dense attractive emulsions under mechanical perturbation. The attraction is introduced through non-specific depletion interactions between the droplets and is controlled by changing the concentration…

We study the dynamics of cracks in brittle materials when the velocity of the crack is comparable to the sound velocity by means of lattice simulations. Inertial and damped dynamics are analyzed. It is shown that dissipation strongly…

The letter resolves several intriguing and fundamental aspects of debonding at soft interfaces, including the formation and persistence of regularly arranged nanocavities and bridges, ``adhesion-debonding hysteresis'', and vastly lower…

The variational principle of safe equilibrium for inhomogeneous elastic cracked bodies is formulated. Using the standard calculus of variations, we show that the crack remains in safe equilibrium as long as the maximum energy reduction rate…

The aggregation of attractive colloids has been extensively studied from both theoretical and experimental perspectives as the fraction of solid particles is changed, and the range, type and strength of attractive or repulsive forces…

Understanding collective properties of driven particle systems is significant for naturally occurring aggregates and because the knowledge gained can be used as building blocks for the design of artificial ones. We model self propelling…

Two approaches to incorporate heterogeneity in discrete models are compared. In the first, standard approach, the heterogeneity is dictated by geometrical structure of the discrete system. In the second approach, the heterogeneity is…

We consider a model of a thin film elastically attached to a rigid substrate. In the case in which the film expands relative to the substrate and assuming certain non-linear elastic behavior of the film, expansion ridges may appear, in…

A force balance condition to predict quasistatic crack paths in anisotropic brittle materials is derived from an analysis of diffuse interface continuum models that describe both short-scale failure inside a microscopic process zone and…

We investigate the interaction between two cracks propagating in a thin sheet. Two different experimental geometries allow us to tear sheets by imposing an out-of-plane shear loading. We find that two tears converge along self-similar paths…

Crack-templated networks, metallic frameworks fabricated from crack patterns in sacrificial thin films, can exhibit high optical transmittance, high electric conductivity, and a host of other properties attractive for applications. Despite…

We show the existence of quasistatic evolutions in a fracture model for brittle materials by a vanishing viscosity approach, in the setting of planar linearized elasticity. The crack is not prescribed a priori and is selected in a class of…

The interplay between geometry, topology and order can lead to geometric frustration that profoundly affects the shape and structure of a curved surface. In this commentary we show how frustration in this context can result in the faceting…

We report a novel mode of oscillatory crack propagation when a cutting tip is driven through a thin brittle polymer film. The phenomenon is so robust that it can easily be reproduced at hand (using CD packaging material for example).…