Topological defects govern plasticity and shear band formation in two-dimensional amorphous solids

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Wang, Xin, Shang, Jin, Wang, Yujie, Zhang, Jie, Baggioli, Matteo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Wang, Xin
Shang, Jin
Wang, Yujie
Zhang, Jie
Baggioli, Matteo
author_facet Wang, Xin
Shang, Jin
Wang, Yujie
Zhang, Jie
Baggioli, Matteo
contents Understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind plastic instabilities and shear band formation in amorphous media under applied deformation remains a long-standing challenge. Leveraging on the mathematical concept of topology, we revisit this problem using two-dimensional experimental amorphous granular packings subjected to pure shear. We demonstrate that topological defects (TDs) in the displacement vector field act as carriers of plasticity, enabling the prediction of both the onset of plastic flow and the global mechanical response of the system. At the microscopic level, we show that these TDs are responsible for the dynamical breakdown of local orientational order, thereby linking topological excitations to short-range structural changes. Finally, we establish that the spatial localization and cooperative alignment of TDs underlie the formation of macroscopic shear bands, which drive plastic flow under large shear loads. This process is mediated by the quasi-periodic annihilation of large defect clusters and their geometric transformation from an approximately isotropic to a strongly anisotropic shape. Our results provide a unified framework for understanding plastic deformation and shear band formation in two-dimensional amorphous systems by connecting topology, short-range order, and mechanical response.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_03771
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Topological defects govern plasticity and shear band formation in two-dimensional amorphous solids
Wang, Xin
Shang, Jin
Wang, Yujie
Zhang, Jie
Baggioli, Matteo
Soft Condensed Matter
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Statistical Mechanics
Understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind plastic instabilities and shear band formation in amorphous media under applied deformation remains a long-standing challenge. Leveraging on the mathematical concept of topology, we revisit this problem using two-dimensional experimental amorphous granular packings subjected to pure shear. We demonstrate that topological defects (TDs) in the displacement vector field act as carriers of plasticity, enabling the prediction of both the onset of plastic flow and the global mechanical response of the system. At the microscopic level, we show that these TDs are responsible for the dynamical breakdown of local orientational order, thereby linking topological excitations to short-range structural changes. Finally, we establish that the spatial localization and cooperative alignment of TDs underlie the formation of macroscopic shear bands, which drive plastic flow under large shear loads. This process is mediated by the quasi-periodic annihilation of large defect clusters and their geometric transformation from an approximately isotropic to a strongly anisotropic shape. Our results provide a unified framework for understanding plastic deformation and shear band formation in two-dimensional amorphous systems by connecting topology, short-range order, and mechanical response.
title Topological defects govern plasticity and shear band formation in two-dimensional amorphous solids
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Statistical Mechanics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.03771