Related papers: Slack Dynamics on an Unfurling String
We study the effects of friction on the scaling evolution of string networks in condensed matter and cosmological contexts. We derive a generalized `one-scale' model with the string correlation length $L$ and velocity $v$ as dynamical…
Fatigue crack growth is decisive for the design of thin-walled structures such as fuselage shells of air planes. The cold rolling process, used to produce the aluminium sheets this structure is made of, leads to anisotropic mechanical…
We examine the focusing of kinetic energy and the amplification of various quantities during the snapping motion of the free end of a flexible structure. This brief but violent event appears to be a regularized finite-time singularity, with…
Using a minimal model of cells or cohesive cell layers as continuum active elastic media, we examine the effect of substrate thickness and stiffness on traction forces exerted by strongly adhering cells. We obtain a simple expression for…
We study the formation and evolution of an interconnected string network in large-scale field-theory numerical simulations, both in flat spacetime and in expanding universe. The network consists of gauge U(1) strings of two different kinds…
We introduce a class of models based on near crack tip degradation of materials that can account for fracture growth under cyclic loads below the Griffith threshold. We incorporate the gradual degradation due to a cyclic load through a flow…
Motivated by recent experiments, we present a study of the dynamics of cracks in thin sheets. While the equations of elasticity for thin plates are well known, there remains the question of path selection for a propagating crack. We invoke…
Many interesting shapes appearing in the biological world are formed by the onset of mechanical instability. In this work we consider how the build-up of residual stress can cause a solid to buckle. In all past studies a fictitious…
We use the Velocity-dependent One Scale Model for topological defect evolution to explore and classify the possible scaling solutions for string networks with time-varying tension, in cosmological and non-cosmological settings and under two…
The present work deals with the problem of a semi-infinite crack steadily propagating in an elastic body subject to plane-strain shear loading. It is assumed that the mechanical response of the body is governed by the theory of…
The existence of a crumpled phase for self-avoiding elastic surfaces was postulated more than three decades ago using simple Flory-like scaling arguments. Despite much effort, its stability in a microscopic environment has been the subject…
Inelastic surface growth associated with continuous creation of incompatibility on the boundary of an evolving body is behind a variety of natural and technological processes, including embryonic development and 3D printing. In this paper…
A two dimensional amorphous material is modeled as an assembly of mesoscopic elemental pieces coupled together to form an elastically coherent structure. Plasticity is introduced as the existence of different minima in the energy landscape…
By means of linear theory of elastoplasticity, solutions are given for screw and edge dislocations situated in an isotropic solid. The force stresses, strain fields, displacements, distortions, dislocation densities and moment stresses are…
Many organisms have an elastic skeleton that consists of a closed shell of epithelial cells that is filled with fluid, and can actively regulate both elastic forces in the shell and hydrostatic pressure inside it. In this work we introduce…
We examine the scaling properties of an evolving network of strings in Minkowski spacetime and study the evolution of length scales in terms of a 3-scale model proposed by Austin, Copeland and Kibble (ACK). We find good qualitative and some…
The wear-driven structural evolution of nanocrystalline Cu was simulated with molecular dynamics under constant normal loads, followed by a quantitative analysis. While the microstructure far away from the sliding contact remains unchanged,…
We have recently developed some simple continuum models of static granular media which display "fragile" behaviour: they predict that the medium is unable to support certain types of infinitesimal load (which we call "incompatible" loads)…
Gels are used to design bilayered structures with high residual stresses. The swelling of a thin layer on a compliant substrate leads to compressive stresses. The post-buckling of this layer is investigated experimentally; the wavelengths…
Many organisms exhibit branching morphologies that twist around each other and become entangled. Entanglement occurs when different objects interlock, creating complex and often irreversible configurations. This physical phenomenon is…