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Degradable polymers and hydrogels are promising classes of soft materials that have sparked the interest of the research community for many years due to their unique properties. Firstly, we investigate the viscoelastic properties of hydrogels through stress relaxation experiments to gain a better understanding of the force-dependent dynamics of these materials with the aspiration of expanding their application envelope within the biomedical field and beyond. We experimentally studied the viscoelastic behavior of 4 different types of hydrogels: covalently crosslinked polyacrylamide (PAAm), covalently crosslinked PAAm network immersed in a viscous alginate solution, ionically crosslinked alginate along with crosslinked PAAm-alginate double network. Through our investigations, we demonstrate that we can tailor the viscoelasticity of a covalently bonded PAAm network by tuning the viscosity of the solution in the gel. Moreover, based on the stress relaxation test of ionically crosslinked alginate gel and the double network gel, we have revealed the quantitative correlation between the ionic bond dissociation and force-dependent viscoelastic behavior of gels containing ionic crosslinks.Secondly, we conducted a systematic investigation on stress-assisted erosion of the photocurable and degradable elastomer poly (glycerol sebacate) acrylate (PGSA). Without external stress, we confirmed that the elastomer undergoes surface erosion in an aqueous environment. Upon the application of mechanical stress, our results revealed that the surface erosion rate was dramatically accelerated. By studying the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) phenomena, we demonstrated that the crack growth speed depends on the applied load and is significantly faster than the surface erosion rate of the elastomer. We have further shown that with decreasing the crosslink density of the elastomer, the crack growth speed during SCC can be slowed down due to the increased viscoelasticity of the material.With these reported discoveries, we hope to provide the scientific community with multiple methodologies to develop advanced polymers with tunable mechanical properties while highlighting the importance of time-dependent behavior and how it is correlated to microscopic mechanisms that take place within the polymer network including ionic debonding in hydrogels and the ester bond dissociation in PGSA.

It is a great challenge for the rational molecular design of light-emitting conjugated polymers to inherently suppress the ubiquitous coffee-ring effect (CRE), which is the critical bottleneck for ...

Since the multi-layered structures are widely used nowadays, and due to interesting applications of cylindrical shells, this study is dedicated to analyzing free vibrational behaviors of functionally graded saturated porous micro cylindrical shells with two nanocomposite skins. Based on Biot's assumptions, constitutive relations for the core are presented and effective properties of the skins are determined via the rule of mixture. A sinusoidal theory is used to capture the shear deformation effects, and to account for the scale effects, the modified couple stress theory is employed which suggests a material length-scale parameter for predicting the results in small-dimension. With the aid of extended form of Hamilton's principle for dynamic systems, differential equations of motion are extracted. Fourier series functions are used to obtain natural frequencies and after validating them, a set of parametric studies are carried out. The results show the significant effects of porosity and Skempton coefficient, pores placement patterns, CNTs addition and distribution patterns, temperature variations, material length-scale parameter and viscoelastic medium on the natural frequencies of the microstructure. The outcomes of this work could be used to design and manufacture more reliable micro cylindrical structures in thermo-dynamical environments.

The texture profile analysis test is an imitative test to determine texture properties of food, which quantify the consumer’s perception of eating food. The instrumental texture parameters obtained from this test depend on the specimen size and the nonstandardized test conditions. To overcome this problem, texture properties are here related to intrinsic mechanical properties, which are independent of the test conditions. Two types of materials are used to investigate the effect of viscoelasticity, plasticity and damage on the texture parameters for varying test conditions. Analytical relations between mechanical properties, test conditions, and the instrumental hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness are determined. The hardness is obtained from the stiffness of the material, which is potentially rate-dependent, and the yield stress of a material in case of plasticity. The springiness is determined by the recoverable or irrecoverable strain in the material, which results from the mechanical properties in combination with the test conditions. Cohesiveness and springiness are found to be strongly related, unless structural damage is present in the material. Adhesiveness is only an indirect measure of the adhesion between the material and compression plate and depends on the test conditions and stiffness of the material. Finite element simulations reveal a decrease of hardness in case of a nonflat top surface, indicating the importance of geometrical effects.

s This paper investigates the effect of porosity on active damping of geometrically nonlinear vibrations (GNLV) of the magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) functionally graded (FG) plates incorporated with active treatment constricted layer damping (ATCLD) patches. The perpendicularly/slanted reinforced 1–3 piezoelectric composite (1–3 PZC) constricting layer. The constricted viscoelastic layer of the ATCLD is modeled in the time-domain using Golla-Hughes-McTavish (GHM) technique. Different types of porosity distribution in the porous magneto-electro-elastic functionally graded PMEE-FG plate graded in the thickness direction. Considering the coupling effects among elasticity, electrical, and magnetic fields, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for the smart PMEE-FG plate is obtained by incorporating the theory of layer-wise shear deformation. The geometric nonlinearity adopts the von Karman principle. The study presents the effects of a variant of a power-law index, porosity index, the material gradation, three types of porosity distribution, boundary conditions, and the piezoelectric fiber's orientation angle on the control of GNLV of the PMEE-FG plates. The results reveal that the FG substrate layers' porosity significantly impacts the nonlinear behavior and damping performance of the PMEE-FG plates.

Nanoscale macromolecular biological structures exhibit time-dependent mechanical behavior, yet a quantitative understanding of their creep and stress relaxation behavior remains elusive, largely due to experimental challenges in attaining sufficient spatial and temporal resolution and control of stress or strain in conditions that guarantee their molecular integrity. To address this gap, an experimental methodology was developed to conduct creep and stress relaxation experiments with individual mammalian collagen fibrils. An image-based edge detection method, implemented with high magnification optical microscopy and combined with closed-loop proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control, was implemented and calibrated to apply constant force or stretch ratio to individual collagen fibrils via a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) device. This experimental methodology allowed for real-time control of uniaxial tensile stress or strain with ~25 nm displacement accuracy. The overall experimental system was tuned to apply step inputs with rise times below 0.5 s, less than 5% overshoot, and steady-state error smaller than 1%. Three collagen fibrils with diameters in the range 101–121 nm were subjected to creep and stress relaxation tests in the range 4–20% engineering strain, under partially hydrated conditions. The collagen fibrils demonstrated non-linear viscoelastic behavior that was described well by the adaptive quasi-linear viscoelastic model. The results of this study demonstrated for the first time that mammalian collagen fibrils, the building blocks of connective tissues, exhibit nonlinear viscoelastic behavior in their partially hydrated state.

Understanding the response of skin to superphysiological temperatures is critical to the diagnosis and prognosis of thermal injuries, and to the development of temperature-based medical therapeutics. Unfortunately, this understanding has been hindered by our incomplete knowledge about the nonlinear coupling between skin temperature and its mechanics. In Part I of this study we experimentally demonstrated a complex interdependence of time, temperature, direction, and load in skin's response to superphysiological temperatures. In Part II of our study, we test two different models of skin's thermo-mechanics to explain our observations. In both models we assume that skin's response to superphysiological temperatures is governed by the denaturation of its highly collageneous microstructure. Thus, we capture skin's native mechanics via a microstructurally-motivated strain energy function which includes probability distributions for collagen fiber orientation and waviness. In the first model, we capture skin's response to superphysiological temperatures as a transition between two states that link the kinetics of collagen fiber denaturation to fiber coiling and to the transformation of each fiber's constitutive behavior from purely elastic to viscoelastic. In the second model, we capture skin's response to superphysiological temperatures instead via three states in which a sequence of two reactions link the kinetics of collagen fiber denaturation to fiber coiling, followed by a state of fiber damage. Given the success of both models in qualitatively and quantitatively capturing our observations, we expect that our work will provide guidance for future experiments that could probe each model's assumptions toward a better understanding of skin's coupled thermo-mechanics and that our work will be used to guide the engineering design of heat treatment therapies. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Quantifying and modeling skin thermo-mechanics is critical to our understanding of skin physiology, pathophysiology, as well as heat-based treatments. This work addresses a lack of theoretical and computational models of the coupled thermo-mechanics of skin. Our model accounts for skin microstructure through modeling the probability of fiber orientation and fiber stress-free states. Denaturing induces changes in the stress-free configuration of collagen, as well as changes in fiber stiffness and viscoelastic properties. We propose two competing models that fit all of our experimental observations. These models will enable future developments of thermal-therapeutics, prevention and management of skin thermal injuries, and set a foundation for improved mechanistic models of skin thermo-mechanics.

In the structural design of a roller-compacted concrete pavement (RCCP), it is crucial to estimate strain and stress developments in the RCCP slab realistically. Since the RCCP mix uses less cement and lower amount of water, shrinkage strain and concrete temperature during the hardening stage are expected to be reduced as compared to those of conventional concrete mixture, resulting in a reduction of the concrete early-age deformation and stress developments in the RCCP slab. In this paper, early-age concrete strain and stress developments in RCCP slab subjected to environmental loads were evaluated. A full-scale test section of RCCP under real climatic conditions was monitored. The early-age total strains, stress-independent strains, shrinkage strains, and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the RCCP were measured and analyzed. Using the results of measured strains, in-situ CTE and shrinkage strain, and temperature, the early-age concrete stress development is computed by incorporating a viscoelastic property of the early-age concrete. The results revealed that the shrinkage strain of the RCCP is quite low as compared to that of conventional concrete. The early-age stress developments in the RCCP slab are strongly governed by the thermal-induced stresses. Shrinkage-induced stresses were quite small and might be negligible in a preliminary estimation of early-age stress developments in the RCCP slab.

Aging can significantly affect the performance of asphalt mixtures, causing increase in stiffness, reduction in relaxation capability and increase in cracking susceptibility. It is also well known that fundamental viscoelastic properties are used for design and modelling of asphalt mixtures and pavement structures to addressing rutting, fatigue and thermal cracking concerns. The objective of this paper is to study how the viscoelastic properties of asphalt mixture change over time, and evaluate and identify the cracking and aging susceptibility of asphalt mixtures with different mix variables during material selection and mixture design. Ten mixtures are evaluated using different laboratory conditioning protocols to simulate a range of aging levels in the field. The complex modulus test is then conducted on the lab aged mixtures to measure the viscoelastic properties in order to construct the dynamic modulus and phase angle master curves. The mixture Glover-Rowe (G-Rm) parameter and the shape parameters of the dynamic modulus and phase angle master curves, including inflection point frequency (−β/γ), difference between the glassy modulus and the inflection point modulus (γ), peak value of phase angle (a) and the horizontal position (frequency) of the peak phase angle value (c), are determined and evaluated for the mixtures with different aging conditions and mix variables. The study indicates the ability of the G-Rm parameter and all the master curve shape parameters to capture the effect of different aging conditions on linear viscoelastic mixture properties, as well as the cracking and aging susceptibility of asphalt mixtures.

We design an interpenetrating network of silane-functionalized nanocomposites to enhance particle dispersity and interfacial bonding strength in nanocomposites. To qualitatively measure the enhanced particle dispersity in the nanocomposites, we carry out rheological characterizations and suggest a simple particle dispersity index from the viscoelastic responses. Yield stresses of the nanocomposites are obtained by fitting with the Carreau-Yasuda model. After comparing the yield stresses and elastic moduli of the nanocomposites during photo-polymerization, we confirm that interphase regions significantly affect the interfacial bonding and mechanical strengths. Prediction of elastic moduli of the nanocomposites by the Mori-Tanaka micromechanics model agrees well with the experimental data, verifying that a good interpenetrating network exists between the nanoparticles and matrix.

Polystyrene is thermoformed in a viscous state at temperatures corresponding to its crystalline melting point (100–140 °C). The mechanical properties of the material change with temperature since these plastics behave viscously when temperature is increased. Findings are presented during numerical simulations, implementing a viscoelastic characterization of laminated polystyrene. A viscoelastic generalized Maxwell model with Prony series is used in the simulation to replicate the thermoforming processes. The results were verified by comparing them through experimental tensile tests at different temperatures. The good agreement between the model and experimentation allows the proper selection of operating parameters such as pressure, time and temperature of the process.

High-performance polymeric membrane technology is rapidly developing worldwide with the introduction of new materials and processes. Considerable research efforts are being made to establish a polymer membrane that can be used for ultrafiltration (UF) or nanofiltration (NF) applications. The development of modified polyamide-66 polymer and its compatibility in wastewater are essential elements in the quest for advances and improvements in membrane technology. The optimized conditions for membrane synthesis are critical in making it commercially viable. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to find the optimum dissolution of polyamide-66 in formic acid. A model was developed and validated with experimental data, and it showed good agreement with R2 0.9984. The optimized condition for minimizing viscosity was determined. For minimum viscosity (3.64 cp), the optimum temperature and wt.% were 20 ?C and 0.6, respectively.

Hypothesis We hypothesize that dispersed Ti3C2Tz MXene particle interactions are reflected in the bulk viscoelastic properties of the dispersions and can be analyzed using classical colloidal theory for anisotropic particles. The relevant kinetic theory for Brownian anisotropic particles is given by the Doi and Edwards (D-E) Model, and the Maxwell Model is used to fit the relaxation times as a function of frequency. Such behavior is relevant to a variety of MXene processing techniques, particularly printing and coating. Experiments Small oscillatory shear tests were performed for dilute Ti3C2Tz MXene aqueous dispersions as a function of their concentration and temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), ζ potential measurements, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the Ti3C2Tz MXene nanoparticles. Findings Ti3C2Tz dispersions show gel-like and viscous-like behavior at low and high temperatures, respectively. Experimental relaxation times fitted to the Maxwell model are found to be close to the theoretical values. However, at high temperatures, relaxation time values differ due to the inter-particle interactions, even in the dilute concentration regime. For Ti3C2Tz dispersions, aggregation, and clustering can have dramatic consequences for dispersion rheology, including gelation, as the sample transitions from liquid-like to solid-like behavior.

Electrospinning is a technique used to fabricate fibrillar materials for different applications. Understanding this process allows companies to reduce efforts and to have better control of the variables present in this phenomenon. A mathematical model is described in this article for Newtonian, Giesekus, FENE-P, and Oldroyd-B approaches. This was done by using radial basis functions through a localized collocation method that has not been used before to solve this kind of problems. The solutions of the viscoelastic and electric behavior were compared with a Python solver and with a previously obtained solution by other researchers. The rheological models, showed that they can be applied according to the size of fluid polymer chains. Thus, the Giesekus model rheologically describes more accurately fluids with small polymer chains, the FENE-P model describes larger polymer chains with low extensibility, and Oldroyd-B model describes same particles as FENE-P but with infinite extensibility. An interesting case of coil-stretching was obtained using the FENE-P model where the fluid becomes Newtonian while the relaxation time increases. In conclusion, The results show that by decreasing the tensile force in the jet, thinner fibers can be obtained and this can be controlled experimentally by using polymers with low molecular weight.

The paper presents results of studying mechanical properties of polymer composites depending on types of filler particles (granular - carbon black, nanodiamonds; layered - graphene plates; fibrous - single-walled nanotubes). These nanofillers differ greatly from each other in their structure and geometry. A significant difference in behavior of nanocomposites was revealed even with little introduction of particles into the elastomer. The highest level of reinforcement of the matrix was obtained when single-wall nanotubes and detonation nanodiamonds were used as fillers. The viscoelastic properties and the Mullins softening effect [1-4] were investigated in experiments performed with material samples subjected to complex uniaxial cyclic deformation. In these experiments, the amplitude of deformations was changed step by step; and at each step a time delay was specified to complete rearrangement processes of the material structure. It was found that a pronounced softening effect after the first cycle of deformation and significant hysteresis losses occur in the material filled with single-walled nanotubes. These characteristics are insignificant for the rest of nanocomposites until elongation increases twofold. In accordance with the obtained results, a new version of the mathematical model to describe properties of the viscoelastic polymer materials was proposed. The constants of the constitutive relations were calculated for each material; the theoretical and experimental load curves were compared. As a result, the introduced model is able to describe the behavior of elastomeric nanocomposites with a high accuracy. Moreover, this model is relatively easy to use, suitable for a wide range of strain rates and stretch ratios and does not require the entire history of deformation as needed for integral models of viscoelasticity.

This paper aims to develop asphalt binder fatigue models by time sweep tests under constant strain. By investigating the fatigue life in neat and modified asphalts under linear and nonlinear viscoelastic responses, results were analyzed in terms of strain levels, asphalt type, and additive content. The dissipated energy and dissipated energy ratio concepts were utilized to develop the phenomenological models for estimating fatigue lives of asphalt binders. Results showed that the dissipated energy ratio-based equations give relatively identical fatigue models irrespective of the strain level or asphalt binder type. Moreover, statistical analyses were performed to investigate the contribution of each parameter in the fatigue model prediction. A comparison was made between fatigue life predictions by means of traditional and energy-based methods. Results proved that the fatigue life prediction models based on the concept of dissipated energy ratio follow a similar trend.

[EN] We report a method to locally assess the complex shear modulus of a viscoelastic medium. The proposed approach is based on the application of a magnetic force to a millimeter-sized steel sphere embedded in the medium and the subsequent monitoring of its dynamical response. A coil is used to create a magnetic field inducing the displacement of the sphere located inside a gelatin phantom. Then, a phased-array system using 3 MHz ultrasound probe operating in pulse-echo mode is used to track the displacement of the sphere. Experiments were conducted on several samples and repeated as a function of phantom temperature. The dynamic response of the sphere measured experimentally is in good agreement with Kelvin¿Voigt theory. Since the magnetic force is not affected by weak diamagnetic media, our proposal results in an accurate estimation of the force acting on the inclusion. Consequently, the estimated viscoelastic parameters show excellent robustness and the elastic modulus agrees with the measurements using a quasi-static indentation method, obtaining errors below 10% in the whole temperature range. The use of the macroscopic inclusion limits the direct application of this method in a biomedical context, but it provides a robust estimation of the elastic modulus that can be used for material characterization in industrial applications., This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the "Juan de la Cierva - Incorporacion" under Grant IJC2018-037897-I, in part by the Program "Proyectos I+D+i 2019" under Grant PID2019-111436RB-C22, in part by the Agencia Valenciana de la Innovacio under Grant INNCON/2021/8, in part by Generalitat Valenciana under Grant AICO/2020/268, and in part by the European Union through the Programa Operativo del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) of the Comunitat Valenciana 20142020 under Grant IDIFEDER/2018/022. The work of Alejandro Cebrecos was supported by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia under Program PAID-10-19.

Dielectric elastomer (DE) is an intelligent soft material and it is regarded as one significant artificial muscle. The nonlinear large deformation, electromechanical coupling and nonlinear viscoelasticity of DE material post great challenges for constitutive modeling and the associated dynamics. Fractional viscoelasticity has encountered some successes in the dynamics of complex materials. In the current study, a 3D constitutive relation of DE based on the fractional Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic model by considering finite strain is established. The Cauchy stress under the condition of uniaxial and biaxial stretches is derived. The fractional dynamics equations of DE membrane are also formulated based on the virtual work principle. The composite integral rule for fractional derivative and the Runge-Kutta method are combined to numerically solve the dynamics system. The constitutive model is fitted to the uniaxial and biaxial stretch experimental data, and the material parameters are obtained. Subject to a cyclic deformation, the stress-softening effect of the DE membrane is simulated. Furthermore, the dynamics responses of DE membrane are also calculated. A convenient approach is given to evaluate the equilibrium point of the system. It reveals that the model could be used to predict the creep behaviors for both free vibration and parametric excitation vibration.

Background Modelling of needle insertion in soft tissue has developed significant interest in recent years due to its application in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgeries such as biopsies and brachytherapy. However, this type of surgery requires real-time feedback and processing which complex computational models may not be able to provide. Methods In contrast to the existing mechanics-based kinetic models, a simple multilayer tissue model using a Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian based Finite Element method has been developed using the dynamic principle. The model simulates the needle motion for flexible hollow bevel-angled needle (15° and 30°, 22 G) insertion into porcine liver tissue, which includes material parameters obtained from unconfined compression testing of porcine liver tissue. To validate simulation results, needle insertion force and cutting forces within porcine liver tissue were compared with corresponding experimental results obtained from a custom-built needle insertion system. Results For the 15° and 30° bevel-angle needles, the percentage error for cutting force (mean) of each needle compared to computational model, were 18.7% and 11.9% respectively. Varying the needle bevel angle from 30° to 15° results in an increase of the cutting force, but insertion force does not vary among the tested bevel angles. Conclusion The validation of this computationally efficient multilayer Finite Element model can help engineers to better understand the biomechanical behaviour of medical needle inside soft biological tissue. Ultimately, this multilayer approach can help advance state-of-art clinical applications such as robot-assisted surgery that requires real-time feedback and processing. Statement of Significance The significance of the work is in confirming the effectiveness of multilayer material based finite element (FE) method to model biopsy needle insertion into soft biological porcine liver tissue. A multilayer Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL) based FE modelling technique allowed testing of heterogeneous, non-linear viscoelastic porcine liver tissue in a system, so direct comparison of needle tissue interaction forces on the intrinsic material (tissue) behaviour could be made. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present research investigates for the first time modelling of a three dimensional (3D) hollow needle insertion using a multilayer stiffness model of biological tissue using FE based CEL method and presents a comparison of simulation results with experimental data.

The reflection and transmission problems of elastic waves through a partially saturated porous interlayer sandwiched between two elastic solid half-spaces are investigated. The partially saturated porous interlayer contains solid phase, gas phase and liquid phase. The solid frame is modeled by the fractional Zener model where the fractional order derivatives are used to describe the complex history-dependent viscoelastic behavior. Due to the coupled effects of the multiple fields, there exist three longitudinal waves and one transverse wave in the porous medium. The numerical results of reflection and transmission coefficients and the energy dissipation ratios are provided and shown graphically. The effects of the gas saturation, the interlayer thickness and the viscoelasticity of the solid frame are discussed based upon the numerical results. It is observed that the reflection and transmission coefficients and the energy dissipation ratios are affected noticeably by the gas saturation, the interlayer thickness and the viscoelasticity of the solid frame. In particular, there exists the characteristic gas saturation where the energy dissipation increases drastically.

This paper investigates the time-varying mechanical performance of partially embedded pile groups subjected to vertical loads in multilayered cross-anisotropic fractional viscoelastic saturated soils. Piles are considered as one-dimensional compression bars and the stiffness matrix of a single pile and the global stiffness matrix of partially embedded pile groups are obtained by the finite element method. Based on the boundary element method, the soil stiffness matrix is deduced by expanding the extended precise integration solution. Then, the solution for partially embedded pile groups in multilayered fractional viscoelastic saturated soils is derived by employing the boundary element-finite element coupling method. Comparisons with existing solutions and an ABAQUS model prove the correctness of the proposed method. Numerical analyses are carried out to evaluate the influences of fractional derivative order, free length, pile spacing, pile-soil stiffness ratio as well as soil stratification on the time effect of partially embedded pile groups under vertical loads.

Lubricant behaves non-Newtonian at high shear stress and high shear rate. The non-Newtonian shear behavior of oil such as shear-thinning, viscoelasticity, and limiting shear stress could have influences on almost all characteristics of an elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contact, that is, the central film thickness, the coefficient of friction, and the temperature rise in the lubricating film. For example, for lubricants of large molecular weight or of polymer blended ones, there can be inlet shear-thinning, which would reduce the EHL film thickness. For the EHL traction in a rolling/sliding EHL contact, it cannot be reasonably predicted without the consideration of non-Newtonian rheology. In EHL numerical studies, the non-Newtonian properties and the constitutive equations are expressed by the concept of generalized viscosity [Formula: see text], which can be either a function of shear rate [Formula: see text] or a function of shear stress [Formula: see text]. In this way, a non-Newtonian lubrication problem could be solved as a generalized Newtonian problem based on solvers for a Newtonian EHL problem. According to the function of the generalized viscosity [Formula: see text], numerical solutions can be classified into shear rate-based ones and shear stress-based ones. In this work, these two kinds of numerical solutions are revisited. And their efficiency is compared for a two-dimensional (2D) non-Newtonian point contact EHL problem (here 2D means non-Newtonian flow in both the x and y directions). Results show that the shear rate-based numerical solution has a higher efficiency than the shear stress-based one. The shear rate-based 2D generalized Newtonian method is more suitable to analyze multiple EHL contacts in angular contact ball bearings and gears with complex 2D flow and/or transient EHL lubrication problems.

Composites made from multi-walled carbon nanotubes and polydimethylsiloxane exhibit an excellent piezoresistivity at elastic limits where strain sensitivity reaches 0.93–0.96 and resistance changes due to stretching and compressing matches with loading histograms. Resistance change becomes pulse-like as the samples are bent and/or twisted, attributed to the rapid increase in intertube spacing. Straining induces movements and segmentations of tube aggregates with tube mobility ranging at 0.1–90 nm/s. Intertube barrier driven sensing mechanism is viscoelasticity related and is therefore interpreted on the basis of spring-dashpot models.

In this investigation on the mechanical behaviour of paint films, we use a new ferrule-top nanoindentation protocol developed for cultural heritage studies to examine the impact of repeated relative humidity variations on the viscoelastic behaviour of paint films and their mechanical properties in different paint stratigraphies through the changes in their storage and loss moduli. We show that the moisture weathering impact on the micromechanics varies for each of these pigment-oil systems. Data from the nanoindentation protocol provide new insights into the evolution of the viscoelastic properties dsue to the impact of moisture weathering on paint films.

Due to the complex process of the insulation layer patch in solid rocket motor (SRM), only manual patch could be used. Sometimes weak bonding or debonding in each joint surface was inevitable. This study is aimed at determining the crack group effect of insulation and interfacial debonded crack in the wide-temperature SRM. The crack group appeared in the front area of the ahead stress-release boot and was induced by low temperature, axial overload, or interface bonding failure. Based on the viscoelastic finite element method, singular crack elements and singular interfacial crack elements at the tips of crack group were established to calculateJ-integral. Varying according to the length and position of cracks, theJ-integral of crack tips was, respectively, calculated to prejudge their stability and the crack group effect. The results showed that collinear crack group appeared in the front stress-release boot layer, and the crack group had a certain shielding effect on the main crack when the SRM was launched at low temperature. When noncollinear crack group appeared in the front stress-release boot layer, the crack group effect changed with the length of the main crack. The crack group first had a shielding effect on the main crack and then had a strong strengthening effect. The experimental test of the simulated specimen revealed that numerical simulation results matched the experimental test results.

With the expansion of global trade routes, ship collision has become a major problem. This article proposes an approach by laying viscoelastic material on the inner side of the ship to increase the crashworthiness. By using the nonlinear finite element model software, this study simulates ship collisions as well as models and analyzes ships along with viscoelastic materials. The results from the simulation suggest that viscoelastic materials can effectively protect ships during collisions.

This is an integrated experimental and theoretical study of the dynamics and rheology of self-crosslinked, slightly charged, temperature responsive soft Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microgels over a wide range of concentration and temperature spanning the sharp change in particle size and intermolecular interactions across the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Dramatic, non-monotonic changes in viscoelasticity are observed with temperature, with distinctive concentration dependences in the dense fluid, glassy, and soft-jammed states. Motivated by our experimental observations, we formulate a minimalistic model for the size dependence of a single microgel particle and the change of interparticle interaction from purely repulsive to attractive upon heating. Using microscopic equilibrium and time-dependent statistical mechanical theories, theoretical predictions are quantitatively compared with experimental measurements of the shear modulus. Good agreement is found for the nonmonotonic temperature behavior that originates as a consequence of the competition between reduced microgel packing fraction and increasing interpar-ticle attractions. Testable predictions are made for nonlinear rheological properties such as the yield stress and strain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to quantitatively understand in a unified manner the viscoelasticity of dense, temperature-responsive microgel suspensions spanning a wide range of temperatures and concentrations., additional supplementary information provided

Filament stretching rheometry is a prominent experimental method to determine rheological properties in extensional flow whereby the separating plates determine the extension rate. In literature, several correction factors that can compensate for the errors introduced by the shear contribution near the plates have been introduced and validated in the linear viscoelastic regime. In this work, a systematic analysis is conducted to determine if a material-independent correction factor can be found for non-linear viscoelastic polymers. To this end, a finite element model is presented to describe the flow and resulting stresses in the filament stretching rheometer. The model incorporates non-linear viscoelasticity and a radius-based controller for the plate speed is added to mimic the typical extensional flow in filament stretching rheometry. The model is validated by comparing force simulations with analytical solutions. The effects of the end-plates on the extensional flow and resulting force measurements are investigated, and a modification of the shear correction factor is proposed for the non-linear viscoelastic flow regime. This shows good agreement with simulations performed at multiple initial aspect ratios and strain rates and is shown to be valid for a range of polymers with non-linear rheological behaviour.

Summary The toughness of composite materials is size dependent below a critical load transfer length (lT). Fiber-reinforced viscoelastic polymers are uniquely suited to study the size-limited regime because the lT of these soft composites can be as high as several centimeters, in contrast to traditional composites where lT is extremely small, allowing a large window for macroscale characterization. In this work, we elucidate the parameters that influence the toughness of soft composites when failure is governed by a fiber pullout-induced matrix-fracture mechanism. We ultimately demonstrate three important points: (1) fiber-reinforced viscoelastic polymers can possess high toughness, even at dimensions well below lT, (2) significant toughness amplification occurs due to the presence of fibers, even when the fracture process consists solely of matrix rupture, and (3) the composite toughness in the fiber pullout region can be predicted from easily attainable component parameters.

A rate-dependent continuum model for paperboard is developed within a framework for finite strains and finite deformations. A multiplicative split of the deformation gradient into an elastic and an inelastic part is assumed. For the in-plane modes of deformation, viscoelasticity is introduced via a thermodynamically consistent generalization of the Maxwell formulation. The elastic transition between out-of-plane compression and out-of-plane tension is smooth, excluding the need for a switch function which is present in a number of existing paperboard models. The evolution of the inelastic part is modeled using two potential functions separating compression from shear and tension. To calibrate the material model, a set of experiments at different loading rates have been performed on single ply paperboard together with creep and relaxation tests for in-plane uniaxial tension. The model is validated by simulating two loading cases related to package forming, line-folding followed by subsequent force-relaxation and line-creasing during different operating velocities in conjunction with a creep study.

The rheological and mechanical (tensile) properties of ethylene methacrylic acid (EMAA) ionomers neutralized by Na, Li, and Zn are investigated in binary combinations of two pure ionomers with different counterions. Molecular weight, methacrylic acid content, degree of neutralization, and ion type are tested as experimental parameters to investigate the composition that leads to the largest enhancement in rheological and mechanical properties. Binary cation blend components with low molecular weight and high neutralization reveal enhancement in rheological and mechanical properties beyond a linear mixing combination of material properties such as zero-shear viscosity, relaxation time, and Young’s modulus. The sticky reptation model is applied to EMAA ionomer blends of binary counterions to calculate the timescales of chain dynamics delayed by ionic associations. The ionic clusters of binary cations have longer-lasting ionic associations forming a reinforced reversible crosslink network. The experimental analysis consists of linear and nonlinear viscoelastic experiments, uniaxial extension, and dynamic mechanical analysis, which reveal the conditions and extent of synergism seen in binary EMAA ionomer blends.

Objective The purpose of this research was to determine the viscoelastic properties of a group of commercially available nano-flowable resin composites; and to explore the relation between these properties and the materials’ composition (with/without fluoride), filler size description (nano-filled, nanohybrid and submicron-filled) and filler loading (by volume). Methods Rheological measurements were performed using a rheometer. A Dynamic frequency sweep test was conducted to evaluate the complex viscosity, storage and loss moduli, loss tangent, and complex shear modulus at an angular frequency (ω) of 0.1–100 rad/s. Comparative evaluations of the nano flowable resin composites on rheological properties was performed, and statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Results The results indicated that all the tested materials exhibited shear-thinning flow behaviour. As the shear rate increased, the complex viscosity of the nano-flowable composites decreased. The nanohybrid filled flowable resin composites exhibited the highest complex viscosity, while the nano-filled flowable resin composites exhibited the lowest value. The submicron-filled materials exhibited the lowest complex shear moduli and loss tangent values. Conclusions: The findings from the current study provided comprehensive evaluation of the rheological properties of different nano-flowable composites. The observed differences in rheological properties among the tested materials were independent of their fluoride content or filler size. Furthermore, no relationship was found between the complex viscosity of the tested nano-flowable resin composites and their filler volume.

In this study, the rheological properties and physical significations of an incompressible viscoelastic (inCVE) the inCVE model was investigated by employing molecular dynamics calculations. Polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) polymers were selected as candidate materials, the corresponding cell models consisting of five chains of 80 (PP) and 30 (PS) units were built successively. The energy minimization and anneal treatment were launched to optimize the unfavorable structures. The periodic boundary condition, COMPASS force field and the Velocity-Verlet algorithm were employed to calculate the shear flow behavior of chains. The sample data were collected and fitted based on the Matlab platform, and the analysis of the variance (ANOVA) method was performed to determine the validity of the model. Experimental results reveal that the inCVE model matches well with the pseudo-plastic fluids. Compared with the Ostwald-de Waele power law model and Cross model, it is effective and robust, and exhibits a three-stage rheological characteristic. Moreover, it characterizes the stress yield, activation energy, temperature dependence and viscoelastic response of polymers.

In the present work, we focus on the large deformation of a viscoelastic droplet suspended in a Newtonian matrix. We use the constrained volume model as a basic theoretical framework for the description of droplet shape evolution, and we account for the viscoelasticity of the droplet phase using the single-mode Giesekus model. The velocity gradient term describing flow inside the droplet is modified by the viscoelastic stresses, and the resulting model—we herein call the non-Newtonian constrained volume model—is calibrated by matching its predictions to those of the model of Yu et al. [J. Rheol. 48, 417–438 (2004)] at small deformation and slow flow conditions. The non-Newtonian constrained volume model is then examined under conditions of large deformation and/or fast flow, and its predictions are compared against experimental results. The new model shows the growth of the droplet's width in the vorticity direction at conditions of large capillary number, moderate-to-large viscosity ratio, and small elastocapillary number.

Oscillatory rheology, at both small (SAOS) and large (LAOS) amplitude, was performed to measure the dynamic response of a soft-solid, formed on dispersing colloids into a thermotropic nematic liquid crystal at volume fractions φ >18%. Due to weak homeotropic anchoring of nematogens at colloid surfaces, a Saturn-ring defect-line, known as a ‘disclination’, encircles each particle and entangles with neighbouring Saturn-ring disclinations[1]. We present the first experimental investigation of the yielding behaviourof the resulting gel to reveal the underpinning physics. Results reveal the frequency response of the composite is independent of the volume fraction φ; an indication that the dispersed phase simply increases the density of disclinations spanning the composite without further effect. Beyond the linear viscoelastic regime (LVR), LAOS experiments indicate the composite is an elastoplastic fluid exhibiting both strain-hardening and shear-thinning behaviour, with Chebyshev coefficients e3>0 and ν31, generating a strain-hardening response since the Frank elasticity resists reorientation of molecular alignment within confined nematic domains. Above a critical frequency ωc the loss modulus G′′ increases slowly due to enhanced viscosity within confined nematic domains, G′′∝ω ½ [2]. Observation of this behaviour in a small-molecule nematic solvent provides insights into the physics of flow behaviour in other, more complex, defect-mediated liquid crystalline structures exhibiting similar properties [3–5].

We study the transient and steady shear rheology of rigid particle suspensions in Boger fluids via complete 3D numerical simulations and experiments. We calculate the transient per-particle extra viscosity and primary stress coefficients for suspensions at different particle volume fractions ϕ for a range of Weissenberg numbers (Wi). The per-particle viscosity ( ηp) and the primary normal coefficient ( ψ1p) increase monotonically to steady state in body-fitted (BF) simulations (for dilute suspensions) and immersed boundary (IB) simulations (for nondilute suspensions). We also present experimental measurements including small amplitude oscillatory shear, steady shear, and transient shear measurements at different particle volume fraction suspensions in a Boger fluid. The simulations and experiments suggest that longer strains are needed to achieve steady state at higher ϕ and Wi. We also show the comparison of the BF and the IB simulations with experimental data for the per-particle viscosity and find excellent quantitative agreement between simulations and experiments at Wi=3 but the IB simulations underpredict the steady values at higher Wi=6. Nevertheless, the IB simulations show an increase in the per-particle viscosity with ϕ as witnessed in the experiments. To understand this behavior, we examine the particle-induced fluid stress (PIFS) and the stresslet contributions using a novel method developed for the IB simulations in this work. We find that the PIFS is independent of ϕ but the stresslet values increase with ϕ. Thus, the particle-particle hydrodynamic interactions in nondilute suspensions affect the stresslet and, in turn, the per-particle viscosity at a given Wi.

Leakage in transmission pipelines and water distribution networks causes water and energy loss and reduces water quality. The accuracy of leakage detection using transient-based methods depends on several factors. This study investigated the sensitivity of location and size of leaks in simple polyethylene transmission pipelines to dynamic parameters, flow regime, sample size, spatial-step increment, and leak size and location. For this purpose, a hydraulic transient solver was first developed to take into account the dynamic effects of unsteady friction, viscoelasticity of the pipe wall, and the leak. The leakage was assumed to function with a quasi-normal distribution around its real location to reduce problem dimensionality and unnecessary computations. This approach was evaluated based on experimental transient data in which leaks were simulated in different sizes and locations. Results revealed that the hydraulic transient model that includes only viscoelasticity effects could pinpoint leakage characteristics. The sample size evaluation indicated that half and a single period of the pressure signal are sufficient to determine the leakage location and size in simple viscoelastic transmission pipelines, respectively. The optimal ratio of the spatial step to pipe length (Δx/L) was 0.025. HIGHLIGHTS Sensitivity analysis of leak detection and sizing in the viscoelastic pipeline.; Leakage simulation using a new approach with a quasi-normal distribution function.; Development of an experimental transient model to evaluate the proposed approach.

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are used in various industries, and have been widely applied in smart devices. In this study, the adhesion properties, viscoelastic properties, and gel fraction of PSAs were investigated after primary and secondary curing to understand their UV-curing behavior. In addition, the impact of concentration of crosslinking agent on the crosslinking density and the degree of crosslinking was investigated. In general, as more crosslinking agent was added, the hardness increased, but this result can be explained by the difference between “crosslinking density” and “degree of crosslinking” at the highest concentration of crosslinking agent actually led to a decrease in “degree of crosslinking”.

Liquid-liquid phase separation of multivalent proteins and RNAs drives the formation of biomolecular condensates that facilitate membrane-free compartmentalization of subcellular processes. With recent advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that biomolecular condensates are network fluids with time-dependent material properties. Here, employing microrheology with optical tweezers, we reveal molecular determinants that govern the viscoelastic behavior of condensates formed by multivalent Arg/Gly-rich sticker-spacer polypeptides and RNA. These condensates behave as Maxwell fluids with an elastically-dominant rheological response at shorter timescales and a liquid-like behavior at longer timescales. The viscous and elastic regimes of these condensates can be tuned by the polypeptide and RNA sequences as well as their mixture compositions. Our results establish a quantitative link between the sequence- and structure-encoded biomolecular interactions at the microscopic scale and the rheological properties of the resulting condensates at the mesoscale, enabling a route to systematically probe and rationally engineer biomolecular condensates with programmable mechanics., Here the authors show that disordered polypeptide-RNA condensates exhibit rheological properties similar to that of a viscoelastic Maxwell fluid, and use simple polypeptide design rules to create microcondensates with tunable viscoelasticity.

This paper carries out bending creep tests on polyester fiber-reinforced asphalt concrete beams, and investigates how the volume ratio and aspect ratio of the fibers influence the parameters of viscoelastic mechanical model and the viscoelastic performance of the asphalt concrete. The results show that: with the growing volume ratio and aspect ratio of the fibers, the midspan deflection and bottom flexural-tensile strain of asphalt concrete beams first dropped and then rose over time; the characteristic parameter of fiber content (FCCP) could reflect the overall effects of the volume ratio and aspect ratio of the fibers. On this basis, a viscoelastic mechanical model was established for the asphalt concrete in the light of the influence of FCCP. The test and theoretical results show that, in our tests, the optimal volume ratio of fibers, optimal aspect ratio of fibers, and optimal FCCP are 0.348, 324, and 1.128 for polyester fiber-reinforced asphalt concrete.

A nonlinear viscoelastic contact interphase is modeled using a Cosserat rod-like string. This Cosserat model is a rod with a deformable cross-section, but with no constitutive resistance to bending. The model allows for axial extension, tangential shear deformation and normal extension of the cross-section which are determined by finite deformations of the interphase. Moreover, the constitutive response of this string model can be determined directly by three-dimensional constitutive equations for a hyperelastic component and a Maxwell elastic-viscoplastic component that together produce viscoelastic response of the interphase. The example of vibrations of a rigid outer ring connected to a fixed inner disk by a nonlinear viscoelastic interphase is used to show that the Cosserat string model of the interface predicts torque and force applied to the outer ring which include nonlinear coupling that is not present in simple uncoupled models of Maxwell components for torque and force applied to the outer ring by the interphase.

Because of considerable experimental difficulties for measuring the viscoelastic Poisson´s ratio of polymers and the scarcity of reported data of this property for most of polymers, in particular, elastomers, new measurement methods and procedures need to be developed. The aim of this article is to provide a simple, suitable and reliable procedure to allow the determination of the viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio of elastomers from simple creep strain measurements based on digital image correlation. To illustrate the proposed procedure, a silicone rubber was tested and analyzed. It consisted of performing creep tests at different stresses and temperatures for 10 min (short-term creep tests) measuring simultaneous axial and transverse strains with a DIC equipment. Creep strain functions in axial and transverse direction were obtained employing a creep model. Then, the strain functions were used to calculate the viscoelastic Poisson´s ratio through a transformation method and to obtain their long-term curves. The results obtained demonstrated significant stress and temperature dependency of the viscoelastic Poisson´s ratio for the silicone rubber. It was observed that the viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio increases with temperature but tends to a certain value, and tends to 0.5 for higher temperatures. Overall, the proposed procedure exhibited notable ease and accuracy for the assessment of viscoelastic Poisson´s ratio of elastomers. Finally, the methodology followed in this work can be a potential alternative tool for the characterization of viscoelastic Poisson´s ratio of elastomers, which is currently scarce in literature.