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Forced motion of an elastic filament through a narrow tube

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Abstract

A polymer filament consisting of many similar molecules linked in a one-dimensional array is very flexible. As a result, shapes with a relatively large curvature can be accommodated elastically. When loosely confined in a thermal environment, such a flexible strand may become tangled owing to its flexibility. When confined within a narrow “tube” over its full length, a flexible molecule may behave quite differently. Here, we consider the qualitative nature of deformation of an individual filament when confined within a tube. Commonly the tube is formed within the cluster by a large number of surrounding filaments of the same type.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    L. B. Freund

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  1. L. B. Freund
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Correspondence to L. B. Freund.

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Freund, L.B. Forced motion of an elastic filament through a narrow tube. Acta Mech. Sin. 31, 789–790 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-015-0507-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-015-0507-5

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