Related papers: Evolution of Adaptive Force Chains in Reconfigurab…
The variational principle of minimum free energy (MFEVP) has been widely used in the study of soft matter statics. MFEVP can be used not only to derive equilibrium equations (including both bulk equations and boundary conditions), but also…
We investigate the shear elastic modulus of soft polymer foams loaded with hard spherical particles and we show that, for constant bubble size and gas volume fraction, strengthening is strongly dependent on the size of those inclusions.…
In various cellular processes, biofilaments like F-actin and F-tubulin are able to exploit chemical energy associated to polymerization to perform mechanical work against an external load. The force-velocity relationship quantitatively…
The study deals with the Payne effect (a substantial decrease in the storage modulus of a particle-reinforced elastomer with an increase in the amplitude of mechanical oscillations). The influence of temperature, concentration of filler and…
The reconfiguration of soft, deformable particles upon adsorption at the interface between two fluids underpins many aspects of their dynamics and interactions, ultimately controlling the macroscopic properties of particle monolayers of…
The dynamical response of a tethered semiflexible polymer with self-attractive interactions and subjected to an external force field is numerically investigated by varying stiffness and self-interaction strength. The chain is confined in…
Introducing a reduced particle stiffness in discrete element method (DEM) allows for bigger time steps and therefore fewer total iterations in a simulation. Although this approach works well for dry non-adhesive particles, it has been shown…
The variation of metallic particle size and sample porosity significantly alters the dynamic mechanical properties of high density granular composites processed using a cold isostatically pressed mixture of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE),…
Grain microstructures are crucial to the mechanical properties, performance, and often lifetime of metallic components. Hence, the prediction of grain microstructures emerging from solidification processes at relevant macroscopic scale is…
We investigate the spatial correlations of microscopic stresses in soft particulate gels, using 2D and 3D numerical simulations. We use a recently developed theoretical framework predicting the analytical form of stress-stress correlations…
External fields can decidedly alter the free energy landscape of soft materials and can be exploited as a powerful tool for the assembly of targeted nanostructures and colloidal materials. Here, we use computer simulations to demonstrate…
The effects of particle roughness and short-ranged non-central forces on colloidal gels are studied using computer simulations in which particles experience a sinusoidal variation in energy as they rotate. The number of minima $n$ and…
Aluminum alloys are increasingly utilized as lightweight materials in the automobile industry due to their superior capability in withstanding high mechanical loads. A significant challenge impeding the large-scale use of these alloys in…
Mechanical metamaterials made of flexible building blocks can exhibit a plethora of extreme mechanical responses, such as negative elastic constants, shape-changes, programmability and memory. To date, dissipation has largely remained…
A model (further referred to as the enhanced vector-based model or EVM) for elastic bonds in solids, composed of bonded particles is presented. The model can be applied for a description of elastic deformation of rocks, ceramics, concrete,…
We report results of long timescale adaptive kinetic Monte Carlo simulations aimed at identifying possible molecular reordering processes on both proton-disordered and ordered (Fletcher) basal plane (0001) surfaces of hexagonal ice. The…
Soft elastic composite materials can serve as actuators when they transform changes in external fields into mechanical deformation. Here, we address the corresponding deformational behavior of magnetic gels and elastomers, consisting of…
Self-assembly of nanoparticles at fluid-fluid interfaces is a promising route to fabricate functional materials from the bottom-up. However, directing and controlling particles into highly tunable and predictable structures -- while…
If a collection of identical particles is poured into a container, different shapes will fill to different densities. But what is the shape that fills a container as close as possible to a pre-specified, desired density? We demonstrate a…
Collections of simple, self-propelled colloidal particles exhibit complex, emergent dynamical behavior, with promising applications in microrobotics. When confined within a deformable vesicle, self-propelled rods cluster and align,…