Related papers: Bridging a gap: A heavy elastica between point sup…
Amontons' law states that the maximum static friction force on a solid object is proportional to the loading force and is independent of the apparent contact area. This law indicates that the static friction coefficient does not depend on…
It is nearly impossible to separate two interleaved phonebooks when held by their spines. A full understanding of this astonishing demonstration of solid friction in complex assemblies has remained elusive. In this Letter, we report on…
The thermal decay of linear chains from a metastable state is investigated. A crossover from rigid to elastic decay occurs when the number of particles, the single particle energy barrier or the coupling strength between the particles is…
Many physical systems can be modelled as parameter-dependent variational problems. In numerous cases, multiple equilibria co-exist, requiring the evaluation of their stability, and the monitoring of transitions between them. Generally, the…
We present a single, unified, multi-scale model to study the attachment\detachment dynamics of two deforming, near spherical cells, coated with binding ligands and subject to a slow, homogeneous shear flow in a viscous fluid medium. The…
We consider some basic principles of fluid-induced lubrication at soft interfaces. In particular, we show how the presence of a soft substrate leads to an increase in the physical separation between surfaces sliding past each other. By…
Mechanics of fluid membranes may be described in terms of the concepts of mechanical deformations and stresses, or in terms of mechanical free-energy functions. In this paper, each of the two descriptions is developed by viewing a membrane…
We report a new theory of dissipative forces acting between colliding viscoelastic bodies. The impact velocity is assumed not to be large, to avoid plastic deformations and fragmentation at the impact. The bodies may be of an arbitrary…
An elastic double pendulum subject to a force acting along a fixed straight line, the so-called "Reut's column problem", is a structure exhibiting flutter and divergence instability, which was never realized in practice and thus debated…
We study the growth of slip line in a plastically deforming crystal by numerical simulation of a double-ended pile-up model with a dislocation source at one end, and an absorbing wall at the other end. In presence of defects, the pile-up…
We study the effective forces acting between colloidal particles trapped at a fluid interface which itself is exposed to a pressure field. To this end we apply what we call the ``force approach'', which relies solely on the condition of…
A filter comprises porous material that traps contaminants when fluid passes through under an applied pressure difference. One side-effect of this applied pressure, however, is that it compresses the filter. This changes the permeability,…
Solid friction between two rough surfaces is often observed to increase logarithmically over time due to contact creeping. An intriguing question is whether a similar aging effect occurs in contact line (CL) friction over rough substrates.…
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…
The consolidation of suspended particulate matter under external forces such as pressure or gravity is of widespread interest. In this work, we derive a constitutive relation to describe the deformation of a {\it two-dimensional} strongly…
We investigate the geometrically nonlinear deformation and buckling of a slender elastic beam subject to time-dependent `fictitious' (non-inertial) forces arising from unsteady rotation. Using a rotary apparatus that accurately imposes an…
We analyse here the problem of large deformation of dielectric elastomeric membranes under coupled electromechanical loading. Extremely large deformations (enclosed volume changes of 100 times and greater) of a toroidal membrane are studied…
Elastomers filled with liquid inclusions -- as opposed to conventional solid fillers -- are a recent trend in the soft matter community because of their unique range of mechanical and physical properties. Such properties stem, in part, from…
Many parts of biological organisms are comprised of deformable porous media. The biological media is both pliable enough to deform in response to an outside force and can deform by itself using the work of an embedded muscle. For example,…
The most direct measurement of adhesion is the pull-off force, i.e. the tensile force necessary to separate two solids in contact. For a given interface, it depends on various experimental parameters, including separation speed, contact age…