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On the configuration evolution of soft filaments under combined tension and torsion

拉扭组合加载下柔性纤维的构型演化规律研究

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Abstract

Slender structures, from DNA and proteins to ropes and strings, are widely seen in nature and industry. Soft filaments could undergo stretch, bend and twist deformations, thus enabling complex configuration transitions, including solenoid and plectoneme. The instabilities of twisted filaments under different pulling forces are studied based on the Cosserat rod theory. The connections between geometrical transformation and mechanics are clarified by considering geometric nonlinearities and self-contact. The interconversions of link, twist, and writhe in the complex structures of twisted filaments are discussed. Experiments on the instabilities of nylon 6 filaments under torsion and stretch are performed simultaneously. The theoretical predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experiments. This study sheds light on understanding the formation mechanism of the twisted-and-coiled polymer muscles.

摘要

细长柔性结构, 如DNA、蛋白纤维和绳索等, 在生物和工程领域中广泛存在. 当柔性纤维受到拉伸、弯曲和扭转等形变时, 会 形成螺线管或双螺旋等构型, 并呈现出复杂的构型变化. 本文基于Cosserat杆理论, 研究了在不同张力下柔性纤维的扭转失稳特性. 通过 考虑几何非线性和自接触, 阐明了几何变换与力学之间的联系, 揭示了纤维加捻复杂构型中交联(link)、扭转(twist)和扭曲(writhe)之间 的转化关系. 本文还通过实验研究了尼龙6纤维在拉伸和扭转组合加载下的屈曲和后屈曲现象, 并与理论结果进行了对比, 结果吻合良 好. 相关研究对于深入理解捻卷型纤维基人工肌肉的形成机制具有指导意义.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11972168 and 12272146), the Application Foundation Frontier Project of Wuhan (Grant No. 2020010601012174), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (HUST: Grant No. 2021JYCXJJ051), and the National Ten Thousand Talent Program for Young Top-notch Talents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Aerospace Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Lei Liu  (刘磊), Zhi Yan  (鄢之), Yuming He  (何玉明) & Dabiao Liu  (刘大彪)

  2. Hubei Key Laboratory of Engineering Structural Analysis and Safety Assessment, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Zhi Yan  (鄢之), Yuming He  (何玉明) & Dabiao Liu  (刘大彪)

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  1. Lei Liu  (刘磊)
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  2. Zhi Yan  (鄢之)
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  3. Yuming He  (何玉明)
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Contributions

Dabiao Liu designed the research, provided the supervision, and performed the funding acquisition. Lei Liu, Dabiao Liu, and Zhi Yan wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Lei Liu and Dabiao Liu set up the experiment set-up and processed the experiment data. Yuming He helped organize the manuscript. Dabiao Liu, Zhi Yan, and Yuming He revised and edited the final version.

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Correspondence to Dabiao Liu  (刘大彪).

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Liu, L., Yan, Z., He, Y. et al. On the configuration evolution of soft filaments under combined tension and torsion. Acta Mech. Sin. 39, 222498 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-023-22498-x

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