Related papers: Helical locomotion in granular media
The effect of the anisotropy on the elastoplastic response of two dimensional packed samples of polygons is investigated here, using molecular dynamics simulation. We show a correlation between fabric coefficients, characterizing the…
Recent experiments showed that standing acoustic waves could be exploited to induce self-propulsion of rigid metallic particles in the direction perpendicular to the acoustic wave. We propose in this paper a physical mechanism for these…
We experimentally investigate the in-plane rotational motion of ferromagnetic colloidal rods immersed in viscoelastic media and subjected to a rotating magnetic field. Unexpectedly, we observe significant angular velocity even at field…
Helical structures, almost ubiquitous in biological systems, have inspired the design and manufacturing of helical devices with applications in nanoelecromechanical systems (NEMS), morphing structures, optoelectronics, micro-robotics and…
We investigate density fluctuations in three-dimensional chiral active fluids by using a simple model of helical self-propelled particles. Helical motion is generated by a constant angular velocity (or chiral torque) acting on the…
Granular matter under rapid flow conditions can be modeled as a granular gas, namely, a gas of hard spheres dissipating part of their kinetic energy during binary collisions (inelastic hard spheres, IHS). On the other hand, given that…
We study the dynamics of a polymer that is pulled by a constant force through a viscoelastic medium. This is a model for a polymer being pulled through a cell by an external force, or for an active biopolymer moving due to a self generated…
Linear polymers are represented as chains of hopping reptons and their motion is described as a stochastic process on a lattice. This admittedly crude approximation still catches essential physics of polymer motion, i.e. the universal…
The collective behavior of vibrated hexagonal disks confined in a monolayer is investigated experimentally. Due to the broken circular symmetry, hexagons prefer to rotate upon sufficiently strong driving. Due to the formation of liquid…
The classical Hertzian contact model establishes a monotonic correlation between contact force and area. Here, we showed that the interplay between local friction and structural instability can deliberately lead to unconventional contact…
A theoretical and experimental study of the spin-over mode induced by the elliptical instability of a flow contained in a slightly deformed rotating spherical shell is presented. This geometrical configuration mimics the liquid rotating…
We use a combination of original light scattering techniques and particles with unique optical properties to investigate the behavior of suspensions of attractive colloids under gravitational stress, following over time the concentration…
The response of an oscillating granular damper to an initial perturbation is studied using experiments performed in microgravity and granular dynamics mulations. High-speed video and image processing techniques are used to extract…
The phenomena of radial and axial segregation in a horizontal rotating cylinder containing a mixture of granular particles of two different species have been modeled using discrete particle simulation. Space-time plots and detailed imagery…
Molecular dynamics simulation has been used to model pattern formation in three-dimensional Rayleigh--Benard convection at the discrete-particle level. Two examples are considered, one in which an almost perfect array of hexagonally-shaped…
This paper designs a new spherical robot structure capable of supporting high-speed motion at up to 10 m/s. Building upon a single-pendulum-driven spherical robot, the design incorporates a momentum wheel with an axis aligned with the…
Recent experiments proposed to use confined bacteria in order to generate flows near surfaces. We develop a mathematical and a computational model of this fluid transport using a linear superposition of fundamental flow singularities. The…
Motivated by recent advances in the investigation of fluctuation-driven ratchets and flows in excited granular media, we have carried out experimental and simulational studies to explore the horizontal transport of granular particles in a…
Much current study of legged locomotion has rightly focused on foot traction forces, including on granular media. Future legged millirobots will need to go through terrain, such as brush or other vegetation, where the body contact forces…
Swelling is a volumetric-growth process in which a porous material expands by spontaneous imbibition of additional pore fluid. Swelling is distinct from other growth processes in that it is inherently poromechanical: Local expansion of the…