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Emulsions are an interesting class of soft materials and have a wide range of practical applications in industry and in consumer goods. To design and tailor the mechanical properties of concentrated emulsions at high droplet volume fractions for specific applications and products, it is helpful to have a good quantitative understanding of emulsion rheology. In this dissertation, we describe the improvements that we have made in the quantitative description of the linear plateau elastic shear modulus, G'p, of jammed monodisperse colloidal emulsions that are stabilized by ionic surfactant molecules. We have created an improved analytical model, which accurately describes the G'p of jammed monodisperse micro- and nano-scale emulsions. We incorporate entropic, electrostatic, and interfacial (EEI) contributions into a quasi-equilibrium free energy while retaining key aspects of random jamming of deformable droplets, and we calculate G'p via free energy minimization. This analytical EEI model successfully describes the empirically measured volume-fraction dependent G'p() for microscale emulsions and nanoemulsions without any ad hoc adjustments to the empirically measured  and with very few adjustable parameters that appear to be universal. In addition, we use this EEI model to identify different -regimes of jamming caused by electrostatic repulsions and droplet interfacial deformations. Using jammed monodisperse emulsions as model system, we have improved diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) microrheology analysis for quantifying the rheological properties of dense colloidal systems, particularly G'p() of jammed repulsive emulsions. We show that we can correct for collective light scattering effects present in highly scattering concentrated colloidal systems through an empirically determined average structure factor and thereby obtain corrected mean square displacements (MSDs), which lead to accurate values of G'p through the generalized Stokes-Einstein relationship (GSER) of passive microrheology. This advance enables accurate optical microrheology measurements of concentrated emulsions over a wide range of frequencies beyond the capabilities of traditional mechanical rheometers. This approach of correcting DWS MSDs for collective scattering is general and can be applied to other types of highly scattering concentrated colloidal dispersions, not just emulsions.Motivated by advances in DWS microrheology for repulsive emulsions, we perform DWS microrheology studies on depletion-induced attractive emulsions near and below the jamming volume fraction of hard spheres. By adapting the analytical approach developed for repulsive emulsions, we show that in some limits DWS microrheology of attractive emulsions can be extracted and compare accurately with macroscopic mechanical measurements. We reveal systematic features in an excess MSD that is present only for the attractive emulsions, and we attribute this excess MSD to additional dynamics of clusters of droplets that are only loosely attached to the main stress-bearing struts of the main gel network of droplets. More theoretical attention is needed in attractive emulsion systems in order to determine how to analyze DWS MSDs and predict the excess MSDs. Interestingly, these measured excess MSDs can be fit using an empirical modified bound Brownian particle equation that we created to describe these extra fluctuations in the DWS signals. This application of DWS microrheology to attractive emulsions herein serves as a basis from which additional DWS microrheology studies of attractive soft colloidal systems can be performed and analyzed.

Viscoelastic material acoustic coating plays an important role in noise and vibration control of underwater equipment. The dynamic mechanical properties of the viscoelastic material have a direct effect on the sound absorption performance of the acoustic coating. The influence of Poisson’s ratio on sound absorption performance is studied. A finite element model was established to calculate the sound absorption performance of three typical acoustic coatings: homogeneous acoustic coatings, Alberich acoustic coatings, and trumpet cavity acoustic coatings, and the influence of Poisson’s ratio on the sound absorption performance of the three kinds of acoustic coatings was analyzed. The results show that when Poisson’s ratio varies from 0.49 to 0.4999, the larger Poisson’s ratio is, the larger the frequency of the first absorption peak is, the smaller the absorption coefficient below the frequency of the first absorption peak is, and the smaller the average absorption coefficient in the whole analysis frequency range is. The dynamic Poisson’s ratio with the change of frequency is obtained by interpolating the test results and static Poisson’s ratio finite element calculation results. The calculation results show that the dynamic Poisson’s ratio can get more accurate calculation results. This work can provide a reference for researchers to set Poisson’s ratio in theoretical analysis and finite element analysis of acoustic coating.

Viscoelastic characterization of materials at the micro- and nanoscales is commonly performed with the aid of force-distance relationships acquired using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The general strategy for existing methods is to fit the observed material behavior to specific viscoelastic models, such as generalized viscoelastic models or power-law rheology models, among others. Here we propose a new method to invert and obtain the viscoelastic properties of a material through the use of the Z-transform, without using a model. We present the rheological viscoelastic relations in their classical derivation and their Z-domain correspondence. We illustrate the proposed technique on a model experiment involving a traditional ramp-shaped force-distance AFM curve, demonstrating good agreement between the viscoelastic characteristics extracted from the simulated experiment and the theoretical expectations. We also provide a path for calculating standard viscoelastic responses from the extracted material characteristics. The new technique based on the Z-transform is complementary to previous model-based viscoelastic analyses and can be advantageous with respect to Fourier techniques due to its generality. Additionally, it can handle the unbounded inputs traditionally used to acquire force-distance relationships in AFM, such as “ramp” functions, in which the cantilever position is displaced linearly with time for a finite period of time.

The paper presents experimental values of lateral and extension transmission ultrasonic waves speed and their absorbance coefficient obtained with the help of discrete immersed method in metal filled polymer auxetic samples with polyurethane matrix. Poisson’s ratio, real and imaginary parts of complex dynamic elastic modulus (Young’s modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus) and mechanical losses tangent of angle for extension, lateral and bulk deformation have been calculated regarding paper’s results. Viscoelastic properties of polyurethane auxetic have been examined regarding different theoretical approaches. To support negative values of Poisson’s ratio, a filled polymer model with critical filler amount and auxetic deformation models have been used. Models structural characteristics for filled polyurethane auxetics have been defined. Systems modeling with solid bulky inclusions, that are able to absorb and to disseminate ultrasonic waves, enables to consider suchlike systems as complex density materials. It is shown that in certain ratio of wave parameters and environment structural and mechanical properties, resonance effects take place, regarding filler’s particles vibration as inclusions in general.

Incorporating reclaimed asphalt (RA) in surface layer mixtures is still limited due to performance concerns, and it becomes even more challenging when combining aged polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) with virgin PMB. This study aims to evaluate, from a binder perspective, the feasibility of incorporating reclaimed polymer-modified binder (RPMB) in new surface layer mixtures. To address this challenge, blends of RPMB and virgin PMB were investigated at three replacement rates (20%, 40% and 60%) with and without a tall oil-based rejuvenator. First, the viscoelastic behaviour of the blends was assessed using a dynamic shear rheometer. Moreover, physicochemical changes were tracked using infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The experimental investigation revealed that, due to polymer degradation of the RMPB, only the blends with 20% RMPB exhibited polymer activity. Finally, the use of the rejuvenator compensated for the rheological properties of the aged RPMB and reduced the susceptibility to non-load-associated cracking.

This paper studies the in-line and cross-flow coupling vibration response characteristics of a marine viscoelastic riser subjected to two-phase internal flow and affected by the combined effects of several parameters including the volume fraction of gas phase, sea water flow velocity, viscoelastic coefficient of the marine riser, axial tension amplitude, and the in-line and cross-flow coupling effect taking into account both the geometric and hydrodynamic nonlinearities. On the base of extended Hamilton’s principle for open systems, the dynamic equations of the marine viscoelastic riser subjected to the axial tension and gas-liquid-structure interaction are established. Two distributed and coupled van der Pol wake oscillators are utilized to model the fluctuating lift and drag coefficients, respectively. The finite element method is adopted to directly solve the highly coupled nonlinear fluid-structure interaction equations. Model validations are firstly performed through comparisons with the published experimental data and numerical simulation results, and the characteristic curves of the in-line and cross-flow vibration pattern, the in-line and cross-flow displacement trajectories, the in-line and cross-flow space-time response of displacement, and the in-line and cross-flow space-time response of stress versus different parameters are obtained, respectively. The results show that the volume fraction of gas phase, sea water flow velocity, viscoelastic coefficient of marine riser, axial tension amplitude, the in-line and cross-flow coupling effect, and multiphase internal flow velocity have significant influences on the dynamic response characteristics of the marine viscoelastic riser. Furthermore, the maximum displacements and stresses of the marine viscoelastic riser can be increased or decreased depending on the internal flow velocity, and the critical internal flow velocities result in the increase of mode order for different cross-flow velocities. It is also demonstrated that appropriate viscoelastic coefficients are very important to effectively suppress the maximum displacements and stresses.

Pickering emulsions have attracted extensive attention due to their good properties including easy to manufacture, high stability, and superparamagnetic response. To improve the emulsifying transportation of crude oil, a Pickering emulsion of crude oil and water stabilized by Fe3O4 nanoparticles was prepared and its rheological properties were tested in this research. It was found that the particle size of dispersion droplet polymerization group in stable crude oil Pickering emulsion is negatively correlated with solid content and water content, and the equilibrium apparent viscosity {\mu }_{\text{ap}} of emulsion follows the power law fluid equation. Besides, this kind of Pickering emulsion has higher elasticity of interface membrane, which means by adding functional particles, it obtains good dynamic stability, and thus, has a great application property in crude oil industry.

This paper presents microstructural topology optimization of viscoelastic materials for the plates with constrained layer damping (CLD) treatments. The design objective is to maximize modal loss factor of macrostructures, which is obtained by using the Modal Strain Energy (MSE) method. The microstructure of the viscoelastic damping layer is composed of 3D periodic unit cells. The effective elastic properties of the unit cell are obtained through the strain energy-based method. The density-based topology optimization is adopted to find optimal microstructures of viscoelastic materials. The design sensitivities of modal loss factor with respect to the design variables are analyzed and the design variables are updated by Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA). Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed optimization method. The effectiveness of the optimal design method is illustrated by comparing a solid and an optimized cellular viscoelastic material as applied to the plates with CLD treatments.

We introduce laser cavitation rheology (LCR) as a minimally-invasive optical method to characterize mechanical properties within the interior of biological and synthetic aqueous soft materials at high strain-rates. We utilized time-resolved photography to measure cavitation bubble dynamics generated by the delivery of focused 500 ps duration laser radiation at λ = 532 nm within fibrin hydrogels at pulse energies of Ep = 12, 18 µJ and within polyethylene glycol (600) diacrylate (PEG (600) DA) hydrogels at Ep = 2, 5, 12 µJ. Elastic moduli and failure strains of fibrin and PEG (600) DA hydrogels were calculated from these measurements by determining parameter values which provide the best fit of the measured data to a theoretical model of cavitation bubble dynamics in a Neo-Hookean viscoelastic medium subject to material failure. We demonstrate the use of this method to retrieve the local, interior elastic modulus of these hydrogels and both the radial and circumferential failure strains.

Aluminum/Polytetrafluoroethylene (Al/PTFE) reactive material occurs chemical reaction and release a large amount of energy under the impact load, which has the dual characteristics of strength and energy release, so it can be applied to the attack of confined space targets to enhance the damage effect on the target. In order to study the dynamic strength of enhanced Al/PTFE and the real-time impact release energy, based on the traditional formula Al/PTFE (26.5%/73.5%), enhanced Al/PTFE reactive material specimens were prepared by cold pressing and rapid cooling processes, and the dynamic mechanical properties of the specimens were tested by the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) testing system. The experiments have been conducted by using two-stage light gas gun loading system combining with the impact release energy related testing system under vacuum condition. Meanwhile, the evolutionary process of reaction product was numerically simulated by ANSYS/Fluent, and the boundary conditions of the numerical simulation were defined by self-programmed UDF subroutine. Experiments, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation were adopted to obtain the real time energy release of Al/PTFE reactive materials at different impact velocities. The results show that the maximum dynamic failure strength of the enhanced Al/PTFE reactive projectile is 126 MPa, and the strain rate hardening phenomenon and viscoelastic effect are exhibited when the strain rate is in the range of 1500 ∼ 3000 s−1. When the strain rate is in the range of 3000 ∼ 4000 s−1, the specimen is insensitive to strain rate. When the impact velocities are 2.30 km/s and 2.54 km/s, the energies that the reactive projectiles release are 8.36 kJ/g and 8.38 kJ/g, respectively, and the reactive material reacts completely. When the impact velocities are 1.64 km/s, 1.80 km/s and 1.94 km/s, the projectiles have not fully reacted. The reactive degree of the reactive projectile increases with the increase of the impact velocity. For the complete reaction of Al/PTFE reactive projectile, the critical impact velocity of the enhanced reactive material is between 1.94 km/s and 2.30 km/s.

Experiments on tumor spheroids have shown that compressive stress from their environment can reversibly decrease tumor expansion rates and final sizes. Stress release experiments show that nonuniform anisotropic elastic stresses can be distributed throughout. The elastic stresses are maintained by structural proteins and adhesive molecules, and can be actively relaxed by a variety of biophysical processes. In this paper, we present a new continuum model to investigate how the growth-induced elastic stresses and active stress relaxation, in conjunction with cell size control feedback machinery, regulate the cell density and stress distributions within growing tumors as well as the tumor sizes in the presence of external physical confinement and gradients of growth-promoting chemical fields. We introduce an adaptive reference map that relates the current position with the reference position but adapts to the current position in the Eulerian frame (lab coordinates) via relaxation. This type of stress relaxation is similar to but simpler than the classical Maxwell model of viscoelasticity in its formulation. By fitting the model to experimental data from two independent studies of tumor spheroid growth and their cell density distributions, treating the tumors as incompressible, neo-Hookean elastic materials, we find that the rates of stress relaxation of tumor tissues can be comparable to volumetric growth rates. Our study provides insight on how the biophysical properties of the tumor and host microenvironment, mechanical feedback control and diffusion-limited differential growth act in concert to regulate spatial patterns of stress and growth. When the tumor is stiffer than the host, our model predicts tumors are more able to change their size and mechanical state autonomously, which may help to explain why increased tumor stiffness is an established hallmark of malignant tumors., Author summary The mechanical state of cells can modulate their growth and division dynamics via mechanotransduction, which affects both the cell size distribution and the tissue size as a whole. Experiments on tumor spheroids have shown that compressive stress from their environment can reversibly decrease tumor expansion rates and final sizes. Besides external confinement and compression on the tumor border, a heterogeneous stress field can be generated inside the tumor by nutrient-driven differential growth. Such growth-induced mechanical stresses can be relaxed by tissue rearrangement, which happens during cell neighbor exchanges, cell divisions, and extracellular matrix renewal. In this study, we have developed a continuum model that describes the above mechanical interactions and the dynamics of tissue rearrangement explicitly. Motivated by published experimental data, we consider mechanotransduction where the local compressive stress slows down cell growth and cell size reduction limits cell division. We have analyzed how external mechanical stimuli and internal processes influence the outcome of cell-and-tissue sizes and spatial patterns of cell density and mechanical stress in growing tumors.

An extension of the Legendre polynomial method is proposed, which allows to model coupled Lamb wave propagation in anisotropic multilayers with Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic properties in a carbon-epoxy-layer sequence [0/ϕ/0]. In spite of complicated nonlinear dependences of the constituent equations on the viscoelastic properties, a linear relationship is found between the attenuation curves calculated by Hysteretic model, and the attenuation curves calculated by the Kelvin-Voigt model. In view of verifying the feasibility of using wave propagation analysis for non-destructive testing of composite materials, predictions are made concerning the dependence of the experimentally accessible phase velocities and attenuation coefficients of the modes on (virtual, defect induced, changes of) the viscoelastic constants in general and the fiber orientation in particular. In order to get a deeper insight in the material property sensitivity of the waves and in how to excite and detect them efficiently, also the through-thickness of displacements and energies profiles of different wave modes and frequencies are investigated, and how these depend on the viscoelastic moduli C ij.

Rheology is the most widely used technique to evaluate the performance and aging of bituminous binders. Since there are many available rheological tests, there is also a wide range of aging indexes and it is not easy to choose the most appropriate one, because a single value may hardly be adequate for different properties or operating conditions. In order to generalize the usefulness of an index, a good starting point is deriving it from a set of data, such as the master curves of linear viscoelastic functions. Then, the problem is the quantification of aging in a single numerical value from continuous curves, covering a wide range of frequencies/temperatures. In this work, a summary of the aging indexes derived from the master curves is reported and discussed. The indexes are applied to a bituminous binder either with or without the addition of an organo-modified layered silicate. The apparent molecular weight distributions and relaxation spectra were also calculated from the master curves and used to characterize the effect of aging on the binder properties and structure. In this way, an interesting parallelism was observed between the SARA fractions and the populations derived from a deconvolution analysis of the apparent molecular weight distributions.

The aggregate in an asphalt mixture is coated with mastic consisting of bitumen (dilute phase) and filler (particulates phase). The interaction of bitumen and filler and packing of filler plays an important role in the properties of mastics. The micromechanics models from composite rheology can be used to predict the stiffening effect of a suspension. In this research, the stiffening effect of fillers was investigated based on the rheology of mastic. The frequency sweep tests in a dynamic shear rheometer at different temperatures were performed within a linear viscoelastic range to construct the master curves. The volume fractions were expressed as compositional volumes of filler in mastic. The particle shape and surface texture are determined through microscopy. We used six micromechanics-based models to predict the stiffening potential of fillers in mastics. The models include Maron–Pierce, Lewis Nielsen, Mooney, Krieger–Dougherty, Chong, Robinson, and Hashin Models. The results show that the same volume content of filler has a different effective volume. The fillers increase the stiffening effect of the composite, especially at high temperatures. The behaviour of fillers with similar effective volume and packing is identical. The filler type affects the stiffening of mastics. Micromechanics modelling results show that most models show an accurate stiffening effect at lower concentrations with the exception of the Chong Model. The Maron–Pierce Model under-estimates the stiffening potential for granite mastic at higher concentrations beyond the 30% filler content fraction. The value of maximum packing fraction (ϕm) and Einstien coefficient (KE) in the Mooney model are significantly different from other models for limestone and granite, respectively. The line of equality graph shows good agreement of measured and predicted stiffness. It is difficult to precisely model the mastic data with any single model due to the presence of complex stiffening effects beyond volume filling.

Viscoelastic granular materials are present in several disciplines. One example is asphalt mixture employed in road construction. In the last three decades, discrete element modeling has been positioned as a valid tool for the analysis of this multiphase material at the grain-scale. All this despite the simplification of the shape of the particles used in these studies. In this work, it is proposed a simplified procedure for the generation of viscoelastic granular samples composed of irregular polyhedra. The numerical aggregates were generated by a Poisson-Voronoi tessellation based on the particle size distribution (PSD) and statistic data of aggregates, without using complex imaging technics. This procedure set the porosity of the packing, while controlling the PSD. Using this procedure implies a significant computational-time reduction by skipping several preparation stages for polyhedral samples, such as deposition by gravity and compaction. This approach can be used for the study granular materials as inclusion in a solid matrix as concrete or asphalt mixtures, particle breaking, and fatigue damage of viscoelastic materials.

Hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoirs has seen a boom in the last century, as a means to fulfill the growing energy demand in the world. The fracturing fluid used in the process plays a substantial role in determining the results. Hence, several research and development efforts have been geared towards developing more sustainable, efficient, and improved fracturing fluids. Herein, we present a dynamic binary complex (DBC) solution, with potential to be useful in the hydraulic fracturing domain. It has a supramolecular structure formed by the self-assembly of low molecular weight viscosifiers (LMWVs) oleic acid and diethylenetriamine into an elongated entangled network under alkaline conditions. With less than 2 wt% constituents dispersed in aqueous solution, a viscous gel that exhibits high viscosities even under shear was formed. Key features include responsiveness to pH and salinity, and a zero-shear viscosity that could be tuned by a factor of ~280 by changing the pH. Furthermore, its viscous properties were more pronounced in the presence of salt. Sand settling tests revealed its potential to hold up sand particles for extended periods of time. In conclusion, this DBC solution system has potential to be utilized as a smart salt-responsive, pH-switchable hydraulic fracturing fluid.

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is no longer used as a nanotechnology tool responsible for topography imaging. However, it is widely used in different fields to measure various types of material properties, such as mechanical, electrical, magnetic, or chemical properties. One of the recently developed characterization techniques is known as loss tangent. In loss tangent AFM, the AFM cantilever is excited, similar to amplitude modulation AFM (also known as tapping mode), however, the observable aspects are used to extract dissipative and conservative energies per cycle of oscillation. The ratio of dissipation to stored energy is defined as tanδ. This value can provide useful information about the sample under study, such as how viscoelastic or elastic the material is. One of the main advantages of the technique is the fact that it can be carried out by any AFM equipped with basic dynamic AFM characterization. However, this technique lacks some important experimental guidelines. Although there have been many studies in the past years on the effect of oscillation amplitude, tip radius, or environmental factors during the loss tangent measurements, there is still a need to investigate the effect of excitation frequency during measurements. In this paper, we studied four different sets of samples, performing loss tangent measurements with both first and second eigenmode frequencies. It is found that performing these measurements with higher eigenmode is advantageous, minimizing the tip penetration through the surface and therefore minimizing the error in loss tangent measurements due to humidity or artificial dissipations that are not dependent on the actual sample surface.

We present a numerical model to simulate the growth and deformation of a viscoelastic biofilm in shear flow under different nutrient conditions. The mechanical interaction between the biofilm and the fluid is computed using the Immersed Boundary Method with viscoelastic parameters determined a priori from measurements reported in the literature. Biofilm growth occurs at the biofilm-fluid interface by a stochastic rule that depends on the local nutrient concentration. We compare the growth, migration, and morphology of viscoelastic biofilms with a common relaxation time of 18 min over the range of elastic moduli 10–1000 Pa in different nearby nutrient source configurations. Simulations with shear flow and an upstream or a downstream nutrient source indicate that soft biofilms grow more if nutrients are downstream and stiff biofilms grow more if nutrients are upstream. Also, soft biofilms migrate faster than stiff biofilms toward a downstream nutrient source, and although stiff biofilms migrate toward an upstream nutrient source, soft biofilms do not. Simulations without nutrients show that on the time scale of several hours, soft biofilms develop irregular structures at the biofilm-fluid interface, but stiff biofilms deform little. Our results agree with the biophysical principle that biofilms can adapt to their mechanical and chemical environment by modulating their viscoelastic properties. We also compare the behavior of a purely elastic biofilm to a viscoelastic biofilm with the same elastic modulus of 50 Pa. We find that the elastic biofilm underestimates growth rates and downstream migration rates if the nutrient source is downstream, and it overestimates growth rates and upstream migration rates if the nutrient source is upstream. Future modeling can use our comparison to identify errors that can occur by simulating biofilms as purely elastic structures.

Changes in biomechanical properties of biological soft tissues are often associated with physiological dysfunctions. Since biological soft tissues are hydrated, viscoelasticity is likely suitable to represent its solid-like behavior using elasticity and fluid-like behavior using viscosity. Shear wave elastography is a non-invasive imaging technology invented for clinical applications that has shown promise to characterize various tissue viscoelasticity. It is based on measuring and analyzing velocities and attenuations of propagated shear waves. In this review, principles and technical developments of shear wave elastography for viscoelasticity characterization from organ to cellular levels are presented, and different imaging modalities used to track shear wave propagation are described. At a macroscopic scale, techniques for inducing shear waves using an external mechanical vibration, an acoustic radiation pressure or a Lorentz force are reviewed along with imaging approaches proposed to track shear wave propagation, namely ultrasound, magnetic resonance, optical, and photoacoustic means. Then, approaches for theoretical modeling and tracking of shear waves are detailed. Following it, some examples of applications to characterize the viscoelasticity of various organs are given. At a microscopic scale, a novel cellular shear wave elastography method using an external vibration and optical microscopy is illustrated. Finally, current limitations and future directions in shear wave elastography are presented.

The uses of nanofluid in cooling technology is growing. The nanofluid is made up of metallic and nonmetallic particles that are distributed in a base fluid. This research provides a summary of fuel cell models, uses, and how they function. Researchers have made significant contributions in the following era due to the importance of bioconvection in nanotechnology and a variety of biological systems. The idea of the recent work is to evaluate the aspects of the Cattaneo–Christov (C–C) heat and mass flux model, the second-order boundary with melting phenomenon on the bioconvective flow of viscoelastic nanofluid across a cylinder. The nature of the activation energy, thermal conductivity is also taken into account. Appropriate similarity transformations are utilized to reframe the PDEs of the modeled system into a system of ODEs. The governing equations for the renovated system of ODEs are treated by a shooting function. Here bvp4c built-in function computational tool MATLAB is used. The two-dimensional flow has ceased application in several areas, such as polymer industry, material synthesis technology, nano-biopolymer computer graphics processing, industry, mechanical engineering, airplane structures, and scientific research, which is much more useful in nanotechnology. The results of emerging important flow-field parameters are investigated with the aid of graphs and numerical results.

The widespread use of magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) materials in various applications has yet to be limited due to the fact that there are substantial deficiencies in current experimental and theoretical research on its microstructural durability behavior. In this study, MRE composed of silicon rubber (SR) and 70 wt% of micron-sized carbonyl iron particles (CIP) was prepared and subjected to stress relaxation evaluation by torsional shear load. The microstructure and particle distribution of the obtained MRE was evaluated by a field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The influence of constant low strain at 0.01% is the continuing concern within the linear viscoelastic (LVE) region of MRE. Stress relaxation plays a significant role in the life cycle of MRE and revealed that storage modulus was reduced by 8.7%, normal force has weakened by 27%, and stress performance was reduced by 6.88% along approximately 84,000 s test duration time. This time scale was the longest ever reported being undertaken in the MRE stress relaxation study. Novel micro-mechanisms that responsible for the depleted performance of MRE was obtained by microstructurally observation using FESEM and in-phase mode of atomic force microscope (AFM). Attempts have been made to correlate strain localization produced by stress relaxation, with molecular deformation in MRE amorphous matrix. Exceptional attention was focused on the development of molecular slippage, disentanglement, microplasticity, microphase separation, and shear bands. The relation between these microstructural phenomena and the viscoelastic properties of MRE was diffusely defined and discussed. The presented MRE is homogeneous with uniform distribution of CIP. The most significant recent developments of systematic correlation between the effects of microstructural deformation and durability performance of MRE under stress relaxation has been observed and evaluated.

Patients with repaired unilateral cleft lip with palate (UCLP) often show dysmorphology and distorted facial motion clinically, which can cause psychological issues. However, no report has clarified the details concerning distorted facial motion and the corresponding possible causative factors. In this study, we hypothesized that the physical properties of the scar and surrounding facial soft tissue might affect facial displacement while smiling in patients with UCLP (Cleft group). We thus examined the three-dimensional (3D) facial displacement while smiling in the Cleft and Control groups in order to determine whether or not the physical properties of facial soft tissues differ between the Cleft and Control groups and to examine the relationship between the physical properties of facial soft tissues on 3D facial displacement while smiling. Three-dimensional images at rest and while smiling as well as the facial physical properties (e.g. viscoelasticity) of both groups were recorded. Differences in terms of physical properties and facial displacement while smiling between the two groups were examined. To examine the relationship between facial surface displacement while smiling and physical properties, a canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was conducted. As a result, three typical abnormal features of smiling in the Cleft group compared with the Control group were noted: less upward and backward displacement on the scar area, downward movement of the lower lip, and a greater asymmetric displacement, including greater lateral displacement of the subalar on the cleft side while smiling and greater alar backward displacement on the non-cleft side. The Cleft group also showed greater elastic modulus at the upper lip on the cleft side, suggesting hardened soft tissue at the scar. The CCA showed that this hard scar significantly affected facial displacement, inducing less upward and backward displacement on the scar area and downward movement of the lower lip in patients with UCLP (correlation coefficient = 0.82, p = 0.04); however, there was no significant relationship between greater nasal alar lateral movement and physical properties of the skin at the scar. Based on these results, personalizing treatment options for dysfunction in facial expression generation may require quantification of the 3D facial morphology and physical properties of facial soft tissues.

The closure of a human lung airway is modelled as a pipe coated internally with a liquid that takes into account the viscoelastic properties of mucus. For a thick-enough coating, the Plateau-Rayleigh instability blocks the airway by the creation of a liquid plug, and the preclosure phase is dominated by the Newtonian behaviour of the liquid. Our previous study with a Newtonian-liquid model demonstrated that the bifrontal plug growth consequent to airway closure induces a high level of stress and stress gradients on the airway wall, which is large enough to damage the epithelial cells, causing sublethal or lethal responses. In this study, we explore the effect of the viscoelastic properties of mucus by means of the Oldroyd-B and FENE-CR model. Viscoelasticity is shown to be very relevant in the postcoalescence process, introducing a second peak of the wall shear stresses. This second peak is related to an elastic instability due to the presence of the polymeric extra stresses. For high-enough Weissenberg and Laplace numbers, this second shear stress peak is as severe as the first one. Consequently, a second lethal or sublethal response of the epithelial cells is induced., Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

To scientifically characterize the dynamic mechanical characteristics of the rubber pad under the rail of fasteners and its influence on the dynamic response of the vehicle-rail-viaduct system, taking the rubber pad under the rail of WJ-7B high-speed railway (HSR) with constant resistance as an example, a TFDV model was applied to characterize the viscoelasticity of the rubber pad and the theoretical model in the dynamic coupling of vehicle-rail-bridge was also studied. The results show that the energy storage modulus and loss factor of rubber pad under rail show a curved surface relation versus the change of frequency-temperature. In a certain frequency/temperature range, the energy storage modulus and loss factor of rubber pad under rail increase with the decrease of temperature and the increase of frequency, and the influence of low temperature on dynamic parameters is more significant. With the decrease of temperature, the minimum value of total dynamic flexibility decreases, and the corresponding extreme frequency shifts to high frequency. Viscoelastic dynamic features of rubber pad under rail mainly affect the dynamic response of vehicle subsystem and rail-bridge subsystem. With the decrease of ambient temperature of rubber pad, the dominant frequency band of power spectrum curve of each structure shifts to high frequency.

An experiment on the static and dynamic tensile mechanical properties of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) elastomers is conducted using an Instron-5943 universal testing machine and an improved Split Hopkinson Tensile Bar to study the dynamic tensile mechanical properties of PVC elastomer materials. The stress-strain curves of PVC materials with three types of Shore hardness (57A, 52A, and 47A) under the strain rates of 0.1 s−1 and 400 ∼ 1800 s−1 are obtained. Results show that the mechanical behavior of PVC elastomer materials with different Shore hardness has remarkable linear elastic characteristics under the action of quasistatic tensile load. It has substantial sensitivity to strain rate and viscoelastic mechanical characteristics under the action of dynamic tensile load. The Zhu–Wang–Tang nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model is used to characterize the viscoelastic mechanical characteristics with small error. This paper can provide theoretical model and method support for the design, development, production, and reliability analysis of PVC elastomers and other soft polymer materials.

A simple method for determining viscoelasticity over a wide frequency range using the frequency response function (FRF) mobility obtained by the center impedance method is presented. As user data comprise the FRF between the velocity of the excitation rod and excitation force, it is challenging to separate the signal and noise. Our proposed method is based on the FRF obtained from the analytical solution of the equation of motion of the viscoelastic beam and relationship between the complex wavenumber (real wavenumber and attenuation constant) of flexural wave and viscoelasticity. Furthermore, a large loss factor can be handled over a wide frequency range without using the half-power bandwidth. In this study, actual FRF mobility data containing noise were processed using preprocessing, inverse calculation, and postprocessing. Preprocessing removed low-coherence data, compensates for the effects of instrument gain, and transformed the FRF into its dimensionless equivalent. Then, inverse calculations were used to solve the mobility equation and determine the complex wavenumber. In postprocessing, the complex wavenumber obtained by the inverse calculation was curve fitted using functions with mechanical significance. Consequently, the storage modulus based on the curve-fitted complex wavenumber was a monotonically increasing frequency function. The loss factor had a smooth frequency dependence such that it has the maximum value at a single frequency. The proposed method can be applied to composite materials, where the application of time-temperature superposition is challenging. We utilized the measured FRF mobility data obtained over a duration of several seconds, and this method can also be applied to materials with large loss factors of 1 or more.

Poor interface bonding conditions reduce the bearing capacity of asphalt pavements and lead to several distresses. In particular, the association between localized interface debonding and near-surface longitudinal cracking was detected by field observations in the United States. Prediction of potential location and extent of localized interface debonding is important to preclude near-surface cracking. However, there is limited information regarding the onset of localized interface debonding induced by bending. Since interface debonding location and extent may depend on pavement structure, material properties, and loading conditions, a practical approach is needed. Several researchers adopted an equivalent elastic approach to overcome the complexity of modeling the viscoelastic responses of asphalt when evaluating the impact of multiple factors. Therefore, this study focused on determining whether the equivalent elastic approach can be used to identify the potential location of bending-induced localized interface debonding without a significant loss of accuracy. The viscoelastic and equivalent elastic analyses were conducted using 3-D finite element models developed to simulate an asphalt pavement subjected to a moving load. The 3-D equivalent elastic analysis appeared to be sufficient to accurately determine the potential location and extent of localized debonding induced by bending, which are mainly controlled by presence of shear stress in combination with low confinement on the horizontal interface plane. Furthermore, localized debonding was found to likely occur along a strip in the longitudinal direction which resembles a plane-strain problem. This study substantiated that future research efforts can focus on the transverse cross-section when assessing the impact of localized debonding.

International audience; Solid tumour growth is often associated with the accumulation of mechanical stresses acting on the surrounding host tissue. Due to tissue nonlinearity, the shear modulus of the peri-tumoural region inherits a signature from the tumour expansion which depends on multiple factors, including the soft tissue constitutive behaviour and its stress/strain state. Shear waves used in MR-elastography (MRE) sense the apparent change in shear modulus along their propagation direction, thereby probing the anisotropic stiffness field around the tumour. We developed an analytical framework for a heterogeneous shear modulus distribution using a thick-shelled sphere approximation of the tumour and soft tissue ensemble. A hyperelastic material (plastisol) was identified to validate the proposed theory in a phantom setting. A balloon-catheter connected to a pressure sensor was used to replicate the stress generated from tumour pressure and growth while MRE data were acquired. The shear modulus anisotropy retrieved from the reconstructed elastography data confirmed the analytically predicted patterns at various levels of inflation. An alternative measure, combining the generated deformation and the local wave direction and independent of the reconstruction strategy, was also proposed to correlate the analytical findings with the stretch probed by the waves. Overall, this work demonstrates that MRE in combination with non-linear mechanics, is able to identify the apparent shear modulus variation arising from the strain generated by a growth within tissue, such as an idealised model of tumour. Investigation in real tissue represents the next step to further investigate the implications of endogenous forces in tissue characterisation through MRE

Studies on jet grouting materials mainly focus on the aggregates in cement or the environment where they are maintained and rarely deal with the cohesiveness, reinforcement load-bearing characteristics, and surface spalling. In this study, cement slurries with different colloid contents were prepared to explore the characteristics and reinforcement effect of broken gangues. These were then subjected to mechanical testing to measure the strength and axial strain performance, and the failure modes and failure patterns were discussed. The results indicated that the colloid component has a significant strengthening effect on the early strength of the samples. As the age increased, the sample axial strain and elastic modulus of the colloid cement paste increased as the colloid component provides viscoelasticity when it resists deformation. The sample strength of cement paste decreases after the addition of broken gangue while the strength of class E samples increases significantly during each age. The cement paste sample showed penetrating splitting failure, the colloidal component effectively controlled the peeling of sample surface, and the failure mode after adding gangue was relatively complicated. The instability modes of the samples are divided into dispersed load-bearing instability and cumulative load-bearing instability, and the content of colloid components affects the failure mode of the samples. A colloid component proportion of 23.33% is the optimal choice, which has an obvious reinforcement effect on the broken gangue.

We evaluated the long-term stability of a newly developed viscoelastic phantom made of polyacrylamide (PAAm) gel for magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and ultrasound-based shear-wave elastography (US SWE). The stiffness of the cylindrical phantom was measured at 0, 13 and 18 months. Storage and loss moduli were measured with MRE, and shear-wave speed (SWS) was measured with US SWE. Long-term stability was evaluated in accordance with the Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance (QIBA) profiles for each modality. The initial storage and loss moduli of the phantom were 5.01±0.22 and 1.11±0.15 respectively, and SWS was 2.57±0.04 m/s. The weight of the phantom decreased by 0.6% over the 18 months. When measured with MRE, the stiffness of the phantom decreased and changes to the storage and loss moduli were -3.0% and -4.6% between 0 and 13 months, and -4.3% and 0.0% between 0 and 18 months. The US measurements found that SWS decreased by 2.4% over the first 13 months and 3.6% at 18 months. These changes were smaller than the tolerances specified in the QIBA profiles, so the viscoelastic PAAm gel phantom fulfilled the condition for long-term stability. This new phantom has the potential to be used as a quality assurance and quality control phantom for MRE and US SWE.

Rupture of the scapholunate interosseous ligament can cause the dissociation of scaphoid and lunate bones, resulting in impaired wrist function. Current treatments (e.g., tendon-based surgical reconstruction, screw-based fixation, fusion, or carpectomy) may restore wrist stability, but do not address regeneration of the ruptured ligament, and may result in wrist functional limitations and osteoarthritis. Recently a novel multiphasic bone-ligament-bone scaffold was proposed, which aims to reconstruct the ruptured ligament, and which can be 3D-printed using medical-grade polycaprolactone. This scaffold is composed of a central ligament-scaffold section and features a bone attachment terminal at either end. Since the ligament-scaffold is the primary load bearing structure during physiological wrist motion, its geometry, mechanical properties, and the surgical placement of the scaffold are critical for performance optimisation. This study presents a patient-specific computational biomechanical evaluation of the effect of scaffold length, and positioning of the bone attachment sites. Through segmentation and image processing of medical image data for natural wrist motion, detailed 3D geometries as well as patient-specific physiological wrist motion could be derived. This data formed the input for detailed finite element analysis, enabling computational of scaffold stress and strain distributions, which are key predictors of scaffold structural integrity. The computational analysis demonstrated that longer scaffolds present reduced peak scaffold stresses and a more homogeneous stress state compared to shorter scaffolds. Furthermore, it was found that scaffolds attached at proximal sites experience lower stresses than those attached at distal sites. However, scaffold length, rather than bone terminal location, most strongly influences peak stress. For each scaffold terminal placement configuration, a basic metric was computed indicative of bone fracture risk. This metric was the minimum distance from the bone surface to the internal scaffold bone terminal. Analysis of this minimum bone thickness data confirmed further optimisation of terminal locations is warranted.

Mudstone interlayer is a weak layer in rock engineering. When it is subjected to continuous stress higher than its damage threshold, due to the dislocation of particles in mudstone crystals and the expansion of cracks, mudstone strength is gradually damaged and deteriorated and the strain gradually increases, thus accelerating the phenomenon of creep damage. In order to describe the characteristics of the whole process of mudstone aging deformation, based on the damage evolution of strength parameters (cohesion and internal friction coefficient) with stress and time in mudstone creep tests, a novel damage nonlinear viscoelastoplastic body (D-NVPB) is proposed through improving traditional plastic element. D-NVPB describes the nonlinear characteristics of the accelerated creep stage of mudstone. With the element combination method, D-NVPB is connected with the Burgers model in series to form a new nonlinear damage creep model (D-NVEP model). The analysis results of creep characteristics theoretically verified the rationality of the model in describing the instantaneous elasticity, viscoelasticity, and nonlinear viscoplastic characteristics of the complete creep curve of mudstone. With the data obtained in the uniaxial compression creep test of mudstone under the action of a stress level of 14 MPa, based on the Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear least squares method, the fitting calculation was performed through piecewise fitting and overall fitting. The correlation coefficient was 0.9909, which verified the applicability of the model. The obtained model parameters by the identification were used to predict the mudstone creep curve under the stress levels of 13 MPa and 15 MPa. The good prediction results further verified the feasibility of the model. Compared with the traditional creep model, the D-NVEP model can better describe the nonlinear characteristics of the accelerated creep stage and quantitatively display the strength damage evolution process of rock in the creep failure process.

Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University through the Fast-track Research Funding Program(Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University) The impact of heat-absorbing viscoelastic nanofluidic flow along with a convectively heated porous Riga plate with Cattaneo-Christov double flux was analytically investigated. The Buongiorno model nanofluid was implemented with the diversity of Brownian motion and thermophoresis. Making use of the transformations; the PDE systems are altered into an ODE system. We use the homotopy analysis method to solve these systems analytically. The reaction of the apposite parameters on fluid velocity, fluid temperature, nanoparticle volume fraction skin friction coefficients (SFC), local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number are shown with vividly explicit details. It is found that the fluid velocities reflect a declining nature for the development of viscoelastic and porosity parameters. The liquid heat becomes rich when escalating the radiation parameter. In addition, the nanoparticle volume fraction displays a declining nature towards the higher amount of thermophoresis parameter, whereas the inverse trend was obtained for the Brownian motion parameter. We also found that the fluid temperature is increased in viscoelastic nanofluid compared to the viscous nanofluid. When we change the fluid nature from heat absorption to heat generation, the liquid temperature also rises. In addition, the fluid heat is suppressed when we change the flow medium from a stationary plate to a Riga plate for heat absorption/generation cases. Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University through the Fast-track Research Funding Program

The rheological properties parameters of paddy soil affect the interaction between the tillage tools and soil, thus influencing the operation quality and power consumption. In order to study the effects of tillage methods and moisture content on the rheological properties parameters of paddy soil in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, uniaxial compression creep tests of paddy soils with four moisture contents under no tillage (moisture contents: 26.71%, 24.52%, 23.26%, 21.28%) and plough tillage (moisture contents: 26.77%, 25.55%, 23.40%, 20.56%) were carried out using a TMS-PRO texture analyzer. The creep properties curves obtained from the tests, and the rheological constitutive equation of paddy soil under compression was established by Burgers viscoelastic model. Respectively, the quantitative change rules of creep properties of paddy soil with different moisture contents under different tillage methods and the correlation between these parameters were explored. The results showed that the moisture content under the three-year plough tillage and no tillage methods had significant influence on the rheological properties parameters of paddy soil (P < 0.05). The instantaneous elastic modulus, delay elastic modulus, and viscosity coefficient of the two paddy soils (no tillage and plough tillage soils) decreased with the increase of moisture content. However, the variation rules of relaxation time and delay viscosity coefficient with moisture content differed between these two paddy soils. Specifically, the strain rate of the two paddy soils decreased as moisture content decreased, where the total strain combines elastic strain, viscous strain, and viscoelastic strain. The initial strain rate and steady strain rate of the plough tillage paddy soils were lower than that of the no tillage paddy soils. The established creep model equation could be used to obtain viscoelastic rheological parameters of paddy soil in a wide range. The fitting equations between rheological parameters and moisture content were introduced into Burgers model, and the coupling equations between creep deformation and moisture content and time were derived, which could be used to predict the creep properties and deformation behavior of paddy soil in a certain range of no tillage and ploughed field. Overall, this study has a certain theoretical significance for the development and improvement of paddy soil rheology theory, and can also provide theoretical basis and technical support for the research of agricultural machinery design optimization, field water, soil conservation, soil tillage and compaction related simulation analysis in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The vibration response of the middle ear (ME) to sound changes when static pressure gradients are applied across the tympanic membrane (TM). To date, it has not been well understood which mechanisms lead to these changes in ME vibration response. In this study, a 3D finite-element model of the human ME was developed that simulates the sound-induced ME vibration response when positive and negative static pressures of up to 4 kPa are applied to the TM. Hyperelasticity of the soft-tissue components was considered to simulate large deformations under static pressure. Some ME components were treated as viscoelastic materials to capture the difference between their static and dynamic stiffness, which was needed to replicate both static and dynamic ME behavior. The change in dynamic stiffness with static preload was simulated by linearization of the hyperelastic constitutive model around the predeformed state. For the preloaded harmonic response, we found that the statically deformed ME geometry introduced asymmetry in the vibration loss between positive and negative pressure, which was due to the TM cone shape. As opposed to previous assumptions, the prestress in the ME due to static pressure had a substantial impact on the vibration response. We also found that material nonlinearity led to a higher stiffening at the umbo but a less pronounced stiffening at the footplate compared to the linear elastic condition. The results suggest that flexibility of the incudomalleolar joint (IMJ) enhances the decoupling of static umbo and footplate displacements, and that viscosity and viscoelasticity of the IMJ could play a role in the transfer of sound-induced vibrations from the umbo to the footplate. The components of the incudostapedial joint had minimal effect on ME mechanical behavior.

We present a rheometer that combines the possibility to perform in situ X-ray experiments with a precise and locally controlled uniaxial extensional flow. It thus allows us to study the crystallization kinetics and morphology evolution combined with the rheological response to the applied flow field. A constant uniaxial deformation rate is ensured, thanks to a fast control scheme that drives the simultaneous movement of the top and bottom plates during a pulling experiment. A laser micrometer measures the time evolution of the smallest diameter, where the highest stress is concentrated. The rheometer has a copper temperature-controlled oven with the ability to reach 250 °C and a N2 connection to create an inert atmosphere during the experiments. The innovation of our rheometer is the fixed location of the midfilament position, which is possible because of the simultaneous controlled movement of the two end plates. The copper oven has been constructed with four ad hoc windows: two glass windows for laser access and two Kapton windows for X-ray access. The key feature is the ability to perfectly align the midfilament of the sample to the laser micrometer and to the incoming X-ray beam in a synchrotron radiation facility, making it possible to investigate the structure and morphologies developed during extensional flow. The rheological response measured with our rheometer for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is in agreement with the linear viscoelastic envelope and with the results obtained from the existing extensional rheometers. To demonstrate the capability of the instrument, we have performed in situ-resolved X-ray experiments on LDPE samples exhibiting extensional flow-induced crystallization. ispartof: REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS vol:91 issue:7 ispartof: location:United States status: published

The experimental quantification and modeling of the multiaxial mechanical response of polymer membranes of coronary balloon catheters have not yet been carried out. Due to the lack of insights, it is not shown whether isotropic material models can describe the material response of balloon catheter membranes expanded with nominal or higher, supra-nominal pressures. Therefore, for the first time, specimens of commercial polyamide-12 balloon catheters membranes were investigated during uniaxial and biaxial loading scenarios. Furthermore, the influence of kinematic effects on the material response was observed by comparing results from quasi-static and dynamic biaxial extension tests. Novel clamping techniques are described, which allow to test even tiny specimens taken from the balloon membranes. The results of this study reveal the semi-compliant, nonlinear, and viscoelastic character of polyamide-12 balloon catheter membranes. Above nominal pressure, the membranes show a pronounced anisotropic mechanical behavior with a stiffer response in the circumferential direction. The anisotropic feature intensifies with an increasing strain-rate. A modified polynomial model was applied to represent the realistic mechanical response of the balloon catheter membranes during dynamic biaxial extension tests. This study also includes a compact set of constitutive model parameters for the use of the proposed model in future finite element analyses to perform more accurate simulations of expanding balloon catheters.

The time-dependent properties of rubber-like synthesized and biological materials are crucial for their applications. Currently, this behavior is mainly measured using axial tensile test, compression test, or indentation. Limited studies performed on using multi-axial loading measurements of time-dependent material behavior exist in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the viscoelastic response of rubber-like materials under multi-axial loading using cavity expansion and relaxation tests. The tests were performed on PVA hydrogel specimens. Three hyperelasitc models and one term Prony series were used to characterize the viscoelastic response of the hydrogels. Finite element (FE) simulations were performed to verify the validity of the calibrated material coefficients by reproducing the experimental results. The excellent agreement between the experimental, analytical and numerical data proves the capability of the cavity expansion technique to measure the time-dependent behavior of viscoelastic materials.