Related papers: On the failure of beam-like topologically interloc…
Microscale granular sliding within fault gouge is fundamental to earthquake nucleation, yet the mechanism by which temperature affects friction through interfacial water remains poorly understood. Here, large-scale molecular dynamics…
When a thin elastic sheet crumples, the elastic energy condenses into a network of folding lines and point vertices. These folds and vertices have elastic energy densities much greater than the surrounding areas, and most of the work…
Topological insulators are noninteracting, gapped fermionic systems which have gapless boundary excitations. They are characterized by topological invariants, which can be written in many different ways, including in terms of Green's…
Dry solid friction is often accompanied by force modulations originating from stick-slip instabilities. Here a distinct, quasi-static mechanism is evidenced leading to quasi-periodic force oscillations during sliding contact between an…
In many areas of applied mathematics, engineering, and social and natural sciences, decentralization of information is a key aspect determining how to approach a problem. In this review article, we study information structures in a…
This paper presents a class of 3D single-scale isotropic materials with tunable stiffness and buckling strength obtained via topology optimization and subsequent shape optimization. Compared to stiffness-optimal closed-cell plate material,…
Even the most regular stick-slip frictional sliding is always stochastic, with irregularity in both the intervals between slip events and the sizes of the associated stress drops. Applying small-amplitude oscillations to the shear force, we…
Entangled networks are ubiquitous in tissues, polymers, and fabrics. However, their mechanics remain insufficiently understood due to the complexity of the topological constraints at the network level. Here, we develop a mathematical…
The onset of frictional motion is mediated by the dynamic propagation of a rupture front, analogous to a shear crack. The rupture front nucleates quasi-statically in a localized region of the frictional interface and slowly increases in…
Microscopic biological systems operate far from equilibrium, are subject to strong fluctuations, and are composed of many coupled components with interactions varying in nature and strength. Researchers are actively investigating the…
Many mechanical systems exhibit changes in their kinematic topology altering the mobility. Ideal contact is the best known cause, but also stiction and controlled locking of parts of a mechanism lead to topology changes. The latter is…
The success of topological insulators (TI) in creating devices with unique functionalities is directly connected to the ability of coupling their helical spin states to well defined perturbations. However, up to now, TI-based…
The shear strength and stick-slip behavior of a rough rock joint are analyzed using the complex network approach. We develop a network approach on correlation patterns of void spaces of an evolvable rough fracture (crack type II).…
Preemptive identification of potential failure under loading of engineering structures is a critical challenge. Our study presents an innovative approach to built-in pre-failure indicators within multiscale structural designs utilizing the…
In this study, we present a concept of morphing structure -- featuring an arch mounted on a compliant base -- that can be reconfigured via snap-through buckling and leverages bistability to retain its morphed shape. We show that…
Compliant mechanisms actuated by pneumatic loads are receiving increasing attention due to their direct applicability as soft robots that perform tasks using their flexible bodies. Using multiple materials to build them can further improve…
This paper presents the stability analysis of a system sliding at low velocities ($< 100 \mu$m.s$^{-1}$) under a periodically modulated normal load, preserving interfacial contact. Experiments clearly evidence that normal vibrations…
States of self-stress, tensions and compressions of structural elements that result in zero net forces, play an important role in determining the load-bearing ability of structures ranging from bridges to metamaterials with tunable…
This work addresses friction-induced modal interactions in jointed structures, and their effects on the passive mitigation of vibrations by means of friction damping. Under the condition of (nearly) commensurable natural frequencies, the…
Flocking is a fascinating phenomenon observed across a wide range of living organisms. We investigate, based on a simple self-propelled particle model, how the emergence of ordered motion in a collectively moving group is influenced by the…