Journal of The Mechanics and Physics of Solids最新文献

In the endeavors of working with microstructures in polycrystalline metals for better strength and ductility, grain boundaries (GBs) are placed at the front burner for their pivotal roles in plastic deformation. Often the mechanical properties of polycrystalline metals are governed by mutual interactions among GBs and dislocations. A thorough comprehension of GB deformation is therefore critical for the design of metals of superb performance. In this research, we investigated the mechanical behavior of symmetric tilt grain boundaries in face-centered cubic (F.C.C.) nickel, which may be subject to tension, shearing, and mixing-mode load using molecular dynamics simulations. We observed that (1) there exist four types of micro deformation mechanisms in GBs, and illustrate at the atomistic scale their distinctions and their dependence on the activation of lattice slip in the crystal; (2) GBs are intrinsically brittle under tension but exhibit ductile behavior during shearing. Shifting from pure tension with increasing shear component during mixing-mode load leads to GB toughening; and (3) there lacks conceivable dependence of GB tensile strength on tilted GBs, in contrast to a relatively rough trend of greater shear strength in GBs of large misorientation. GB energy shows no direct connection with GB strength, as broadly reported in existing literature. This research enhances our mechanistic understanding of GB plasticity in crystalline metals, and points to a potential way of making strong-yet-tough polycrystalline metals through GB engineering: in addition to GB structure manipulation, tuning the loading mode of GBs may open another avenue for their better performance.

Focal adhesion (FA), the complex molecular assembly across the lipid membrane, serves as a hub for physical and chemical information exchange between cells and their microenvironment. Interestingly, studies have shown that FAs can grow along the direction of contractile forces generated by actomyosin stress fibers and achieve larger sizes on stiffer substrates. In addition, the cellular traction transmitted to the substrate was observed to reach the maximum near the FA center. However, the biomechanical mechanisms behind these intriguing findings remain unclear. To answer this important question, here we first developed a one-dimensional (1D) chemo-mechanical model of FA where key features like adhesion plaque deformation, active contraction by stress fibers, force-dependent association/dissociation of integrin bonds connecting two surfaces, and substrate compliance have all been considered. Within this formulation, we showed that the rigidity-sensing capability of FAs originates from the deformability of stress fibers while the force-dependent breakage of integrin bonds leads to the appearance of the traction peak at the FA center. Furthermore, by extending the model into three-dimensional as well as incorporating assembly/dis-assembly kinetics of adhesion proteins, we also demonstrated how anisotropic stress/strain field within the adhesion plaque will be induced by the presence of contractile forces which leads to the directional growth of the FA.

We investigate various methods of analyzing systems with moving boundaries, using as an example a flexible rod sliding in an ideal frictionless sleeve in the field of gravity. Special attention is paid to the configurational force acting on the rod at the sleeve opening and thus determining the rod’s dynamics. The non-material kinematic description used in simulations is based on the re-parametrization of the Lagrangian arc length coordinate. The variational formulation uses the energy expressions written for the entire rod, comprising the free segment and the one inside the sleeve. A novel finite element scheme is efficient for highly flexible rods, which may undergo complete ejection. A simplified two degrees of freedom model, which accelerates simulations, shows a good agreement as the bending stiffness increases. An analytical study using Hamiltonian mechanics exploits the separation of variables into fast oscillations and slow axial motion. The adiabatic invariant approach leads to approximate closed-form solutions for the slow dynamics and yields the maximum injection depth of the rod into the sleeve.

Wound closure is a fundamental procedure in many physiological and pathological processes, driven by multiple active cellular forces. In the closure process the wound shape can evolve into round, oval, or slit. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine the mechanical strategies of wound shape evolution are unclear. To understand how these active forces co-regulate wound shapes, we constructed a novel complex variable method-based mechanical model and obtained the stress field and free energy of cell layer with arbitrary wound shape. Our results revealed that there was a stress-driven cell polarization and arrangement around the wound under the cooperative regulation of the tissue pretension, cell protrusion stress and actomyosin ring tension that drove the direction of cell polarization and arrangement for the wound closure. In addition, a 3D phase diagram was obtained from minimizing the free energy of the cell layer that illustrates how the different active cellular forces co-regulate the wound shape evolution. In general, large cellular protrusion induces the evolution of the wound toward slit shape, and strong and medium contractions of the actomyosin ring correspond to the evolution toward oval shape and round shape, respectively. This study reveals a critical mechanism by which living organisms actively control complex processes via the coordination of multiple active cellular forces in tissue repair and development.

A micro-mechanical model is proposed to predict the stress–strain hysteresis during the cyclic hydrostatic loading of fluid-saturated rocks under drained or undrained conditions. A spherical pore is surrounded by a multi-cracked shell where local deviatoric stress develops despite the remote hydrostatic loading. The effective properties of the material composing the shell are constructed assuming an isotropic distribution of cracks with no interaction, and the overall properties thanks to the spherical assemblage approach. The fluid pressure in drained and undrained conditions is assumed to be uniform throughout the assemblage. A new analytical solution is proposed, assuming all cracks are closed and slipping either forwardly or reversely. It is shown with numerical simulations for drained conditions that this assumption is indeed respected for sufficiently small values of the crack friction angle. However, for reasonable values, the closed cracks during the unloading phase could slip in either direction: reversely close to the pore and still forwardly away from the pore. Moreover, at critical radii, the slip could occur in either direction depending on the crack orientation. A similar micro-structural response is observed for undrained conditions, although the remote confining stress required to close the cracks is much larger. The model’s predictions compare favourably with recent experimental data on dry sandstones and carbonates, which were presented in a study on the influence of strain amplitude on the transition between static and dynamic properties. The crack density and matrix elasticity modulus are sufficient fitting parameters to accurately predict the hysteresis loops, especially for porosity levels above 10%.

Blood clots represent living materials composed of a polymer network and an abundance of cells. They might fracture within the bulk material of the clot (cohesive fracture), at the interface between the clot and the surrounding tissue (adhesive fracture), or through a combination of both modes (hybrid fracture). The clot fracture within vascular systems and injury sites could lead to life-threatening conditions. Despite the significance, understanding and modeling the fracture behaviors of blood clots, including their dependence on mechanical loading and cellular components, remain in a nascent stage. In this study, we employ an integrated experimental-computational approach to comprehensively investigate the fracture behaviors of bovine blood clots. We explore various mechanical factors, substrates, and cellular components such as red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets. Our findings reveal that among various tissue substrates, blood clots exhibit the highest interfacial adhesion energy with muscle, and the lowest to the inner arterial lining, consistent with their biological function. Both interfacial adhesion energy and bulk fracture energy are rate-dependent, although they exhibit different dependencies. Also, RBCs and platelets have different effects on clot fracture. An increase in RBC content tends to toughen both adhesion and fracture of blood clots. However, an increase in platelet content enhances interfacial adhesion energy but lowers the bulk fracture energy. The platelet content also governs the shift from adhesive fracture to hybrid fracture. To model clot fracture, we developed two finite element models incorporating a coupled cohesive-zone and Mullins-effect approach to simulate pure shear fracture and peeling of blood clots. These models, validated through experimental data, elucidate the interplay between intrinsic fracture toughness, interfacial strength, and bulk energy dissipation during clot fracture. This study significantly advances our understanding of clot mechanics, providing valuable insights into the mechanics of similar living materials and the management of clot-related disorders such as hemorrhage and thrombosis.

The statistical mechanics of stiff polymer chains confined within narrow tubes is a foundational topic in polymer physics, extensively analyzed in prior research. For cylindrical, rectangular, and slit-like confinements, the chains’ free energy and extension adhere to a scaling law consistent with the Odijk theory. While this scaling law may not apply to tubes with different cross-sectional geometries, there is a lack of research examining the behavior of stiff chains in tubes with intricate cross-sectional shapes. In this study, we investigate the partition function of a stiff chain confined within an elliptic tube using the path integral approach, deriving a deflection length in a concise closed form through dimensional analysis. This length scale facilitates straightforward expressions for the chain's free energy and extension. Notably, we discover a shape-independent property of these expressions applicable to tubes with a wide variety of cross-sectional geometries. Extensive numerical simulations are conducted using a biased chain-growth Monte Carlo method, incorporating the Pruned and Enriched Rosenbluth algorithm, to validate the theoretical predictions on the confinement free energy and extension of chains in tubes with differing shapes.