Related papers: Optimal power and efficiency of odd engines
Optimisation of heat engines at the micro-scale has applications in biological and artificial nano-technology, and stimulates theoretical research in non-equilibrium statistical physics. Here we consider non-interacting overdamped particles…
To date, the vast majority of architected materials have leveraged two physical principles to control wave behavior, namely Bragg interference and local resonances. Here, we describe a third path: structures that accommodate a finite number…
Compliant mechanisms achieve motion through elastic deformation. In this work, we address the synthesis of a compliant cross-hinge mechanism capable of large angular strokes while approximating the behavior of an ideal revolute joint. To…
We study linear policy approximations for the risk-conscious operation of an industrial energy system with uncertain wind power, significant and variable electricity demand, and high thermal output, as found in a modern foundry. The system…
Mechanical metamaterials are artifical composites that exhibit a wide range of advanced functionalities such as negative Poisson's ratio, shape-shifting, topological protection, multistability, and enhanced energy dissipation. To date, most…
The project aims to explore a novel way to design and produce cellular materials with good energy absorption and recoverability properties. Spinodoid structures offer an alternative to engineering structures such as honeycombs and foam with…
Elastic metamaterials are often designed for a single permanent function. We explore the possibility of altering a material's function repeatedly through a self-organization, "training" process, controlled by applied strains. We show that…
A variety of performance demands are being placed on material systems, including desirable mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical, acoustic and flow properties. The purpose of the present article is to review the emerging field of…
Stochastic thermodynamics has revolutionized our understanding of heat engines operating in finite time. Recently, numerous studies have considered the optimal operation of thermodynamic cycles acting as heat engines with a given profile in…
Brownian particles interacting sequentially with distinct temperatures and driving forces at each stroke have been tackled as a reliable alternative for the construction of engine setups. However they can behave very inefficiently depending…
Soft porous materials, such as biological tissues and soils, are exposed to periodic deformations in a variety of natural and industrial contexts. The detailed flow and mechanics of these deformations have not yet been systematically…
Active self-assembly can bypass equilibrium bottlenecks through external energy injection. However, generic driving typically distorts target structures and requires sustained energy input even after assembly is complete. Here, we…
For two different scenarios regarding thin elastic structures, described by 2d-F\"oppl-von K\'arm\'an plate models, we obtain energy scaling laws. Firstly, assuming the reference geometry being that of a singular excess-cone, we obtain…
There are many exotic thermodynamic processes that are hard to study in nature. Here, we synthesize a structured environment to explore the extremes of thermodynamics. We present an engine running at extreme temperatures of above ten…
Microscopic machines utilize free energy to create and maintain out-of-equilibrium organization in virtually all living things. Often this takes the form of converting the free energy stored in nonequilibrium chemical potential differences…
Autonomous oscillations in biological systems may have a biochemical origin or result from an interplay between force-generating and visco-elastic elements. In molecular motor assemblies the force-generating elements are molecular engines…
In living cells, molecular motors convert chemical energy into mechanical work. Its thermodynamic energy efficiency, i.e. the ratio of output mechanical work to input chemical energy, is usually high. However, using two-state models, we…
As inelastic structures are ubiquitous in many engineering fields, a central task in computational mechanics is to develop accurate, robust and efficient tools for their analysis. Motivated by the poor performances exhibited by standard…
Results are presented for finding the optimal orientation of an anisotropic elastic material. The problem is formulated as minimizing the strain energy subject to rotation of the material axes, under a state of uniform stress. It is shown…
Efficiency of a Brownian particle moving along the axis of a three-dimensional asymmetric periodic channel is investigated in the presence of a symmetric unbiased force and a load. Reduction of the spatial dimensionality from two or three…