Related papers: Microcracks and inhomogeneously distributed defect…
Disorder and homogeneity are two concepts that refer to spatial variation of the system potential. In condensed-matter systems disorder is typically divided into two types; those with local parameters varying from site to site (diagonal…
Many 'interesting; correlated electron materials exhibit an unusual sensitivity of measured properties to external perturbations, and in particular to imperfections in the sample being measured. It is argued that in addition to its…
Differential shrinkage in particulate quasi-brittle materials causes microcracking which reduces durability in these materials by increasing their mass transport properties. A hydro-mechanical three-dimensional periodic network approach was…
New aspects of a relation between lattice and dislocation structures are examined within a physically transparent theoretical scheme. Predicted features originating from the lattice discreteness include: (i) multiple core dislocation…
Diffusion can be conceptualized, at microscopic scales, as the random hopping of particles between neighboring lattice sites. In the case of diffusion in inhomogeneous media, distinct spatial domains in the system may yield distinct…
This study explores the role that the microstructure plays in determining the macroscopic static response of porous elastic continua and exposes the occurrence of position-dependent nonlocal effects that are strictly correlated to the…
Spatially confined rigid membranes reorganize their morphology in response to the imposed constraints. A crumpled elastic sheet presents a complex pattern of random folds focusing the deformation energy while compressing a membrane resting…
Dislocations are line defects in crystalline solids and often exert a significant influence on the mechanical properties of metals. Recently, there has been a growing interest in using dislocations in ceramics to enhance materials…
In a porous rock, the spatial distribution of the pore space induces a strong heterogeneity in fluid flow rates and in the stress distribution in the rock mass. If the rock microstructure evolves through time, for example by dissolution,…
During plastic deformation, metals change shape while continuously becoming stronger. The microscopic origin of these processes lies in the proliferation and movement of line defects, dislocations, and the subsequent self-organisation and…
Chromonic liquid crystals (CLCs) are lyotropic materials which are attracting growing interest for their adaptability to living systems. A considerable body of works has been devoted to exploring their properties and applications. In this…
Questions regarding energy dissipation in astrophysical jets are open to date, despite of numerous attempts to limit the diversity of models. Some of the most popular models assume that energy is transferred to particles via internal…
Two approaches to incorporate heterogeneity in discrete models are compared. In the first, standard approach, the heterogeneity is dictated by geometrical structure of the discrete system. In the second approach, the heterogeneity is…
It is argued that topological disorder in amorphous solids can be described by local strains related to local reference crystals and local rotations. An intuitive localization criterion is formulated from this point of view. The Inverse…
Recent progress in approaches to determine the elastic constants of solids starting from the microscopic particle interactions is reviewed. On the theoretical side, density functional theory approaches are discussed and compared to more…
Disorder is more the rule than the exception in natural and synthetic materials. Nonetheless, wave propagation within inhomogeneously disordered materials has received scant attention. We combine microwave experiments and theory to find the…
Defects are a ubiquitous feature of ordered media. They have certain universal features, independent of the underlying physical system, reflecting their topological origins. While the topological properties of defects are robust, they…
Dynamic crack propagation drives catastrophic solid failures. In many amorphous brittle materials, sufficiently fast crack growth involves small-scale, high-frequency microcracking damage localized near the crack tip. The ultra-fast…
The freezing of colloidal suspensions is encountered in many natural and engineering processes. It can be harnessed through a process known as ice templating, to produce porous materials and composites exhibiting unique functional…
The macroscopic mechanical properties of densely packed coagulated colloidal particle gels strongly depend on the local arrangement of the powder particles on length scales of a few particle diameters. Heterogeneous microstructures exhibit…