Geometry-Driven Mechanical Memory in a Random Fibrous Matrix

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Sarkar, Mainak, Laukaitis, Christina, Johnson, Amy Wagoner
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866929702022676480
author Sarkar, Mainak
Laukaitis, Christina
Johnson, Amy Wagoner
author_facet Sarkar, Mainak
Laukaitis, Christina
Johnson, Amy Wagoner
contents Disordered fibrous matrices, formed by the random assembly of fibers, provide the structural framework for many biological systems and biomaterials. Applied deformation modifies the alignment and stress states of constituent fibers, tuning the nonlinear elastic response of these materials. While it is generally presumed that fibers return to their original configurations after deformation is released, except when neighboring fibers coalesce or individual fibers yield, this reversal process remains largely unexplored. The intricate geometry of these matrices leaves an incomplete understanding of whether releasing deformation fully restores the matrix or introduces new microstructural deformation mechanisms. To address this gap, we investigated the evolution of matrix microstructures during the release of an applied deformation. Numerical simulations were performed on quasi-two-dimensional matrices of random fibers under localized tension, with fibers modeled as beams in finite element analysis. After tension release, the matrix exhibited permanent mechanical remodeling, with greater remodeling occurring at higher magnitudes of applied tension, indicative of the matrix preserving its loading history as mechanical memory. This response was surprising; it occurred despite the absence of explicit plasticity mechanisms, such as activation of inter-fiber cohesion or fiber yielding. We attributed the observed remodeling to the gradient in fiber alignment that developed within the matrix microstructure under applied tension, driving the subsequent changes in matrix properties during the release of applied tension. Therefore, random fibrous matrices tend to retain mechanical memory due to their intricate geometry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_13409
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Geometry-Driven Mechanical Memory in a Random Fibrous Matrix
Sarkar, Mainak
Laukaitis, Christina
Johnson, Amy Wagoner
Soft Condensed Matter
Materials Science
Biological Physics
Disordered fibrous matrices, formed by the random assembly of fibers, provide the structural framework for many biological systems and biomaterials. Applied deformation modifies the alignment and stress states of constituent fibers, tuning the nonlinear elastic response of these materials. While it is generally presumed that fibers return to their original configurations after deformation is released, except when neighboring fibers coalesce or individual fibers yield, this reversal process remains largely unexplored. The intricate geometry of these matrices leaves an incomplete understanding of whether releasing deformation fully restores the matrix or introduces new microstructural deformation mechanisms. To address this gap, we investigated the evolution of matrix microstructures during the release of an applied deformation. Numerical simulations were performed on quasi-two-dimensional matrices of random fibers under localized tension, with fibers modeled as beams in finite element analysis. After tension release, the matrix exhibited permanent mechanical remodeling, with greater remodeling occurring at higher magnitudes of applied tension, indicative of the matrix preserving its loading history as mechanical memory. This response was surprising; it occurred despite the absence of explicit plasticity mechanisms, such as activation of inter-fiber cohesion or fiber yielding. We attributed the observed remodeling to the gradient in fiber alignment that developed within the matrix microstructure under applied tension, driving the subsequent changes in matrix properties during the release of applied tension. Therefore, random fibrous matrices tend to retain mechanical memory due to their intricate geometry.
title Geometry-Driven Mechanical Memory in a Random Fibrous Matrix
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Materials Science
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.13409