Related papers: Effective elastic moduli of composites with a stro…
We use molecular simulations to explore how sample dimensions and interfacial properties impact some generic aspects of the mechanical and structural behavior of nanoconfined materials. Specifically, we calculate the strain-dependent…
We examine how the distribution of contour lengths and the high-stretch stiffening of individual chain segments affect the macroscopic shear modulus of flexible polymer gels, using a 2D numerical model, in which polymer segments form a…
We consider an elastic composite material containing particulate inclusions in a soft elastic matrix that is bounded by a rigid wall, e.g., the substrate. If such a composite serves as a soft actuator, forces are imposed on or induced…
In crystals, molecules thermally vibrate around the periodic lattice sites. Vibrational motions are well understood in terms of phonons, which carry heat and control heat transport. The situation is notably different in disordered solids,…
We introduce a computational approach to estimate the hardness and stiffness of diamond surfaces and nanoparticles by studying their elastic response to atomic nanoindentation. Results of our ab initio density functional calculations…
A theory of phonon-mediated superconductivity in strong-coupling amorphous materials is developed based on an effective description of structural disorder and its effect on the vibrational spectrum. The theory accounts for the…
In this third and final paper of a series, elastic properties of numerically simulated isotropic packings of spherical beads assembled by different procedures and subjected to a varying confining pressure P are investigated. In addition P,…
We study the uniaxial compressive behavior of disordered colloidal free-standing micropillars composed of a bidisperse mixture of 3 and 6 um polystyrene particles. Mechanical annealing of confined pillars enables variation of the packing…
Assemblies of purely repulsive and frictionless particles, such as emulsions or hard spheres, display very curious properties near their jamming transition, which occurs at the random close packing for mono-disperse spheres. Although such…
We formulate an effective medium (mean field) theory of a material consisting of randomly distributed nodes connected by straight slender rods, hinged at the nodes. Defining novel wavelength-dependent effective elastic moduli, we calculate…
This paper presents a study of the polymer-filler interfacial effects on filler dispersion and mechanical reinforcement in Polystyrene (PS) / silica nanocomposites by direct comparison of two model systems: un-grafted and PS-grafted silica…
We study the interfacial structure, stability, and elastic properties of composite carbon films containing nanotubes. Our Monte Carlo simulations show that Van der Waals forces play a vital role in shaping up the interfacial geometry,…
Heteropolymers are ubiquitous in both synthetic systems, such as block copolymers, and biological macromolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids. Beyond their chemical composition, these polymers often exhibit spatial variations in…
We study the homogenisation of geometrically nonlinear elastic composites with high contrast. The composites we analyse consist of a perforated matrix material, which we call the "stiff" material, and a "soft" material that fills the pores.…
A micromechanical approach is set-up to analyse the increase in elastic stiffness related to development of plastic deformation (the elastoplastic coupling concept) occurring during the compaction of a ceramic powder. Numerical simulations…
We formulate a generic concept model for the deformation of a locally disordered, macroscopically homogeneous material which undergoes irreversible strain softening during plastic deformation. We investigate the influence of the degree of…
The effect of self-affine roughness on solid contact is examined with molecular dynamics and continuum calculations. The contact area and normal and lateral stiffnesses rise linearly with the applied load, and the load rises exponentially…
The equilibrium amorphous solid state -- formed, e.g., by adequately randomly crosslinking the constituents of a macromolecular fluid -- is a heterogeneous state characterized by a universal distribution of particle localization lengths.…
We investigate numerically the homogenized permittivities of composites made of low index dielectric inclusions in a ferroelectric matrix under a static electric field. A refined model is used to take into account the coupling between the…
Dense ceramics are irreplaceable in applications requiring high mechanical stiffness, chemical and temperature resistance and low weight. To improve their toughness, ceramics can be reinforced with elongated inclusions. Recent manufacturing…