On the Evaluation of the Elastic Modulus of Soft Materials Using Beams with Unknown Initial Curvature

A non‐linear optimization procedure is established to determine the elastic modulus of slender, soft materials using beams with unknown initial curvature in the presence of large rotations. Specifically, the deflection of clamped‐free beams under self‐weight – measured at different orientations with respect to gravity – is used to determine the modulus of elasticity and the intrinsic curvature in the unloaded state. The approach is validated with experiments on a number of different materials – steel, polyetherimide, rubber and pig skin. Because the loading is limited to self‐weight, the strain levels attained in these tests are small enough to assume a linear elastic material behaviour. This non‐destructive methodology is also applicable to engineered tissues and extremely delicate materials in order to obtain a quick estimate of the material's elastic modulus.     

Self-organization in phase separation of a lyotropic liquid crystal into cellular, network and droplet morphologies

Phase separation is one of the most fundamental physical phenomena that controls the morphology of heterogeneous structures. Phase separation of a binary mixture of simple liquids produces only two morphologies: a bicontinuous or a droplet structure in the case of a symmetric or an asymmetric composition, respectively. For complex fluids, there is a possibility to produce other interesting morphologies. We found that a network structure of the minority phase can also be induced transiently on phase separation if the dynamics of the minority phase are much slower than those of the majority phase. Here we induce a cellular structure of the minority phase intentionally with the help of its smectic ordering, using phase separation of a lyotropic liquid crystal into the isotropic and smectic phase. We can control the three morphologies, cellular, network and droplet structures, solely by changing the heating rate. We demonstrate that the kinetic interplay between phase separation and smectic ordering is a key to the morphological selection. This may provide a new route to the formation of network and cellular morphologies in soft materials.     

Investigation of transition metal oxides by ultrasonic microscopy

Ultrasonic microscopy is now well established in non-destructive testing and has become a versatile method for investigating solid materials. It may serve both as imaging technique for large scale inspection of sample homogeneity and also as measuring device for a local determination of elastic properties. Our investigations of single crystalline vanadium dioxide nicely demonstrate this capability of flexible use and are exemplary for the beneficial effect of ultrasonic microscopy on materials research, in general. Here we focus on three different subjects: the detection of odd phases in as-grown single crystals, the inspection of structural transformations accompanying the metal–insulator transition and the investigation of elastic properties performed on small crystallites.     

Rubber-Like Soft Lattice Structure for Anti-Ballooning in Fluidic Elastic Soft Robots

Additive manufacturing of lattice structures provides materials with enhanced strength, stiffness, and lightweight properties. While most research focuses on stiff, low-stretch materials like metals and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, herein, the tensile behavior of soft, elastomeric lattice structures is explored. Soft-material 3D-printing advancements have enabled increased usage of directly printed soft robots. Traditional fluidic elastic actuators, however, face limitations due to the ballooning effect of soft polymers, causing potential explosions or leakages. To mitigate this, the study proposes using a soft lattice structure to reinforce soft inflatable robots, thereby reducing the ballooning effect and increasing design freedom. Herein, soft lattices are fabricated using Agilus30 in a Stratasys J735 printer and their behaviors under compression and stretching are compared. It is indicated in the results that lattice reinforcement maintains the soft robot's shape under higher pressure and allows tunability of stiffness with variable internal pressure. The implementation of this method in non-convex soft robots successfully demonstrates its anti-ballooning effect.     

Elemental Analogues of Graphene: Silicene,Germanene, Stanene,and Phosphorene

The fascinating electronic and optoelectronic properties of free‐standing graphene has led to the exploration of alternative two‐dimensional materials that can be easily integrated with current generation of electronic technologies. In contrast to 2D oxide and dichalcogenides, elemental 2D analogues of graphene, which include monolayer silicon (silicene), are fast emerging as promising alternatives, with predictions of high degree of integration with existing technologies. This article reviews this emerging class of 2D elemental materials – silicene, germanene, stanene, and phosphorene – with emphasis on fundamental properties and synthesis techniques. The need for further investigations to establish controlled synthesis techniques and the viability of such elemental 2D materials is highlighted. Future prospects harnessing the ability to manipulate the electronic structure of these materials for nano‐ and opto‐electronic applications are identified.     

From Geometric Transformations to Auxetic Metamaterials

The paper introduces a new alternative towards fabrication of auxetic metamaterials (materials with negative Poisson’s ratio) controlled by geometric transformations. These transformations are derived from the theory of small (infinitesimal) elastic deformation superimposed on finite elastic deformations. By using this theory, a cylindrical region filled with initial deformed foam is transformed through deformation into a cylindrical shell region filled with auxetic metamaterial. As an example, the realization of the seismic cloak device becomes a practical possibility.     

A micromechanical model to predict the flow of soft particle glasses

Soft particle glasses form a broad family of materials made of deformable particles, as diverse as microgels, emulsion droplets, star polymers, block copolymer micelles and proteins, which are jammed at volume fractions where they are in contact and interact via soft elastic repulsions. Despite a great variety of particle elasticity, soft glasses have many generic features in common. They behave like weak elastic solids at rest but flow very much like liquids above the yield stress. This unique feature is exploited to process high-performance coatings, solid inks, ceramic pastes, textured food and personal care products. Much of the understanding of these materials at volume fractions relevant in applications is empirical, and a theory connecting macroscopic flow behaviour to microstructure and particle properties remains a formidable challenge. Here we propose a micromechanical three-dimensional model that quantitatively predicts the nonlinear rheology of soft particle glasses. The shear stress and the normal stress differences depend on both the dynamic pair distribution function and the solvent-mediated EHD interactions among the deformed particles. The predictions, which have no adjustable parameters, are successfully validated with experiments on concentrated emulsions and polyelectrolyte microgel pastes, highlighting the universality of the flow properties of soft glasses. These results provide a framework for designing new soft additives with a desired rheological response.     

等效介质理论在各向同性复合材料的弹性性能上的应用

本文介绍了我们不久前发展的一套应用于复合材料性能的等效(有效)介质理论,并且把它合理地扩展到研究二相各向同性复合材料的弹性性能。作为例子,我们计算了含球状空隙及含球状刚性微粒固体的剪切模量,得到这两个情况下模量与掺入物体积比的直接关系式。计算结果并与实验比较,得到很好的符合。     

A Liquid‐Metal–Elastomer Nanocomposite for Stretchable Dielectric Materials

Stretchable high‐dielectric‐constant materials are crucial for electronic applications in emerging domains such as wearable computing and soft robotics. While previous efforts have shown promising materials architectures in the form of dielectric nano‐/microinclusions embedded in stretchable matrices, the limited mechanical compliance of these materials significantly limits their practical application as soft energy‐harvesting/storage transducers and actuators. Here, a class of liquid metal (LM)–elastomer nanocomposites is presented with elastic and dielectric properties that make them uniquely suited for applications in soft‐matter engineering. In particular, the role of droplet size is examined and it is found that embedding an elastomer with a polydisperse distribution of nanoscale LM inclusions can enhance its electrical permittivity without significantly degrading its elastic compliance, stretchability, or dielectric breakdown strength. In contrast, elastomers embedded with microscale droplets exhibit similar improvements in permittivity but a dramatic reduction in breakdown strength. The unique enabling properties and practicality of LM–elastomer nanocomposites for use in soft machines and electronics is demonstrated through enhancements in performance of a dielectric elastomer actuator and energy‐harvesting transducer.     

Finite element simulation of phase field model for nanoscale martensitic transformation

A finite element framework of a phase field model for nanoscale martensitic transformation is proposed on the basis of time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau kinetic equations. The bulk total free energy consists of the chemical driving energy, the interfacial energy, the elastic energy, the inertial energy (for a dynamic case), the energy due to applied field and the effects of surface energy which need to be considered at the nanoscale. Single-variant and multi-variant martensitic phase transformations in a nano-sized NiAl plate are considered. The numerical results show the effects of each energy item on the phase transformation and the self-accommodating twinned morphologies as the result of strain energy minimization.     

Superelastic Multimaterial Electronic and Photonic Fibers and Devices via Thermal Drawing

Electronic and photonic fiber devices that can sustain large elastic deformation are becoming key components in a variety of fields ranging from healthcare to robotics and wearable devices. The fabrication of highly elastic and functional fibers remains however challenging, which is limiting their technological developments. Simple and scalable fiber‐processing techniques to continuously codraw different materials within a polymeric structure constitute an ideal platform to realize functional fibers and devices. Despite decades of research however, elastomeric materials with the proper rheological attributes for multimaterial fiber processing cannot be identified. Here, the thermal drawing of hundreds‐of‐meters long multimaterial optical and electronic fibers and devices that can sustain up to 500% elastic deformation is demonstrated. From a rheological and microstructure analysis, thermoplastic elastomers that can be thermally drawn at high viscosities (above 10³ Pa s), allowing the encapsulation of a variety of microstructured, soft, and rigid materials are identified. Using this scalable approach, fiber devices combining high performance, extreme elasticity, and unprecedented functionalities, allowing novel applications in smart textiles, robotics, or medical implants, are demonstrated.     

Ancestrally high elastic modulus of gecko setal beta-keratin.

Typical bulk adhesives are characterized by soft, tacky materials with elastic moduli well below 1MPa. Geckos possess subdigital adhesives composed mostly of beta-keratin, a relatively stiff material. Biological adhesives like those of geckos have inspired empirical and modelling research which predicts that even stiff materials can be effective adhesives if they take on a fibrillar form. The molecular structure of beta-keratin is highly conserved across birds and reptiles, suggesting that material properties of gecko setae should be similar to that of beta-keratin previously measured in birds, but this has yet to be established. We used a resonance technique to measure elastic bending modulus in two species of gecko from disparate habitats. We found no significant difference in elastic modulus between Gekko gecko (1.6 GPa +/- 0.15s.e.; n=24 setae) and Ptyodactylus hasselquistii (1.4 GPa +/- 0.15s.e.; n=24 setae). If the elastic modulus of setal keratin is conserved across species, it would suggest a design constraint that must be compensated for structurally, and possibly explain the remarkable variation in gecko adhesive morphology.     

Design of high sorbent pectin/CaCO3 composites tuned by pectin characteristics and carbonate source

Five pectin samples – which differ by the methylation degree and/or amide content – were used to prepare inorganic/organic composites by CaCO₃ mineralization from supersaturated solutions. The pectin chemical structure and concentration could control the composite superstructure by induction or orientation of crystal growth. The inorganic materials may also control CaCO₃ polymorphism and morphologies and therefore different carbonate sources, such as Na₂CO₃, diethylcarbonate or ammonium carbonates, were used as modulators for crystal growth. The morphology of the new CaCO₃/pectin composites was investigated by SEM and the polymorphs content by X-ray diffraction, as compared to bare CaCO₃ samples prepared in similar conditions. The composites were tested as sorbents for Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions.     

Conservation laws in linear piezoelectricity

We use Noether's theorem on variational principles invariant under a group of infinitesimal transformations to obtain a class of conservation laws for linear piezoelectric materials and linear elastic dielectrics.     

3D inhomogeneous, misfitting second phase particles-equilibrium shapes and morphological development

A 3D simulation of equilibrium shapes of precipitates forming from diffusive phase transitions is presented. The concept of generalized forces is used to take elastic and interfacial energy into consideration when calculating the equilibrium morphologies. By using shape optimization techniques an efficient iterative scheme for finding equilibrium morphologies is presented. A first step towards simulating the temporal evolution of the microstructure is undertaken, by proposing a simple generalized evolution law. The numerical simulations underline the importance of elastic strain energy in the developing of certain microstructures, such as convex, concave, prolate and oblate cuboids. It is elaborated that particle size together with stiffness ratio between particle and matrix play an significant role.     

基于均匀化方法的多孔材料细观力学特性数值研究

本文把均匀化理论与有限元法相结合 ,应用于多孔材料的弹性本构数值模拟 ,利用位移渐进展开建立了均匀化有限元列式。通过对正方形孔洞蜂窝材料有效模量的计算比较 ,表明本文方法可得到较准确的有效模量 ;同时还考察了胞壁固体相的力学性能参数vs 对宏观力学性能的影响 ,得到了与一些理论公式相同的结论。最后 ,本文对胞壁中含有弹性增强相的多孔材料的力学性能进行了数值研究 ,并利用二次均匀化方法给出定量的计算结果     

Resistance spot welding joints of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel sheets: Phase transformations,mechanical properties and microstructure characterizations

In this paper, we aim to optimize welding parameters namely welding current and time in resistance spot welding (RSW) of the austenitic stainless steel sheets grade AISI 316L. Afterward, effect of optimum welding parameters on the resistance spot welding properties and microstructure of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel sheets has been investigated. Effect of welding current at constant welding time was considered on the weld properties such as weld nugget size, tensile–shear load bearing capacity of welded materials, failure modes, failure energy, ductility, and microstructure of weld nuggets as well. Phase transformations that took place during weld thermal cycle were analyzed in more details including metallographic studies of welding of the austenitic stainless steels. Metallographic images, mechanical properties, electron microscopy photographs and micro-hardness measurements showed that the region between interfacial to pullout mode transition and expulsion limit is defined as the optimum welding condition. Backscattered electron scanning microscopic images (BE-SEM) showed various types of delta ferrite in weld nuggets. Three delta ferrite morphologies consist of skeletal, acicular and lathy delta ferrite morphologies formed in resistance spot welded regions as a result of non-equilibrium phases which can be attributed to the fast cooling rate in RSW process and consequently, prediction and explanation of the obtained morphologies based on Schaeffler, WRC-1992 and Pseudo-binary phase diagrams would be a difficult task.     

Covalent Bonding of Thermoplastics to Rubbers for Printable,Reel‐to‐Reel Processing in Soft Robotics and Microfluidics

The lamination of mechanically stiff structures to elastic materials is prevalent in biological systems and popular in many emerging synthetic systems, such as soft robotics, microfluidics, stretchable electronics, and pop‐up assemblies. The disparate mechanical and chemical properties of these materials have made it challenging to develop universal synthetic procedures capable of reliably adhering to these classes of materials together. Herein, a simple and scalable procedure is described that is capable of covalently laminating a variety of commodity (“off‐the‐shelf”) thermoplastic sheets to silicone rubber films. When combined with laser printing, the nonbonding sites can be “printed” onto the thermoplastic sheets, enabling the direct fabrication of microfluidic systems for actuation and liquid handling applications. The versatility of this approach in generating thin, multifunctional laminates is demonstrated through the fabrication of milliscale soft actuators and grippers with hinged articulation and microfluidic channels with built‐in optical filtering and pressure‐dependent geometries. This method of fabrication offers several advantages, including technical simplicity, process scalability, design versatility, and material diversity. The concepts and strategies presented herein are broadly applicable to the soft robotics, microfluidics, and advanced and additive manufacturing communities where hybrid rubber/plastic structures are prevalent.     

地震模拟振动台试验模型相似设计中的材料弹性模量取值问题研究

为了提高结构地震模拟振动台试验的精度,采用实常用模型材料的力学性能试验与规范计算理论分析相结合的方式,对混凝土结构、砌体结构及钢结构地震模拟振动台试验模型相似关系设计中的材料弹性模量取值方法进行了系统研究,推荐了混凝土结构、砌体结构及钢结构地震模拟相似关系设计中材料弹性模量的合理取值方法。试验与分析结果表明：模型材料弹性模量的试验值与原型材料弹性模量的规范值可能会存在较大差异,造成模型相似关系中的模型与原型弹性模量比过小,使振动台试验结果失真。因此,当混凝土结构振动台试验模型采用微粒混凝土或砂浆材料浇筑时,模型材料与原型混凝土材料的弹性模型应统一采用规范提供的拟合公式根据材料立方体抗压强度计算得到;当砌体结构振动台试验模型采用小型混凝土砌块制作时,模型材料弹性模量应采用规范拟合公式由材料试验确定的砌体抗压强度设计值计算得到;钢结构地震模拟相似关系中的弹性模量比可采用1.0。以上结论可为不同结构地震模拟振动台试验的模型相似关系设计提供理论依据。