Joel A. Lefever

A Technique for the Experimental Determination of the Length and Strength of Adhesive Interactions Between Effectively Rigid Materials

To describe adhesion between bodies of known arbitrary shape and known elastic properties, contact mechanics models require knowledge or assumptions of a minimum of two parameters, the strength of the adhesive interaction (characterized by the intrinsic work of adhesion Wadh,int) and the length scale of the interaction (described by the range of adhesion z0). One parameter can easily be measured if the other is estimated or assumed, but experimental techniques for determining both simultaneously are lacking. Here, we demonstrate a novel technique—called the Snap-in/pull-off Numerical Adhesion Parameter method—for experimentally determining both parameters simultaneously using adhesion measurements performed with an atomic force microscope probe whose geometry has been characterized. The method applies to materials that approach the rigid limit (high elastic moduli). The technique is explained and validated analytically for simple shapes (flat punch, paraboloid, and right cone), and trends in results are compared against prior literature. This approach allows calculation of the adhesion parameters to enable prediction of adhesion behavior, including for advanced technology applications.

Structure-property relationships from universal signatures of plasticity in disordered solids

Behavioral universality across size scales Glassy materials are characterized by a lack of long-range order, whether at the atomic level or at much larger length scales. But to what extent is their commonality in the behavior retained at these different scales? Cubuk et al. used experiments and simulations to show universality across seven orders of magnitude in length. Particle rearrangements in such systems are mediated by defects that are on the order of a few particle diameters. These rearrangements correlate with the materials softness and yielding behavior. Science, this issue p. 1033 A range of particle-based and glassy systems show universal features of the onset of plasticity and a universal yield strain. When deformed beyond their elastic limits, crystalline solids flow plastically via particle rearrangements localized around structural defects. Disordered solids also flow, but without obvious structural defects. We link structure to plasticity in disordered solids via a microscopic structural quantity, “softness,” designed by machine learning to be maximally predictive of rearrangements. Experimental results and computations enabled us to measure the spatial correlations and strain response of softness, as well as two measures of plasticity: the size of rearrangements and the yield strain. All four quantities maintained remarkable commonality in their values for disordered packings of objects ranging from atoms to grains, spanning seven orders of magnitude in diameter and 13 orders of magnitude in elastic modulus. These commonalities link the spatial correlations and strain response of softness to rearrangement size and yield strain, respectively.

A patient-specific, finite element model for noncommunicating hydrocephalus capable of large deformation.

A biphasic model for noncommunicating hydrocephalus in patient-specific geometry is proposed. The model can take into account the nonlinear behavior of brain tissue under large deformation, the nonlinear variation of hydraulic conductivity with deformation, and contact with a rigid, impermeable skull using a recently developed algorithm. The model was capable of achieving over a 700 percent ventricular enlargement, which is much greater than in previous studies, primarily due to the use of an anatomically realistic skull recreated from magnetic resonance imaging rather than an artificial skull created by offsetting the outer surface of the cerebrum. The choice of softening or stiffening behavior of brain tissue, both having been demonstrated in previous experimental studies, was found to have a significant effect on the volume and shape of the deformed ventricle, and the consideration of the variation of the hydraulic conductivity with deformation had a modest effect on the deformed ventricle. The model predicts that noncommunicating hydrocephalus occurs for ventricular fluid pressure on the order of 1300 Pa.

Disordered Nanoparticle Packings under Local Stress Exhibit Avalanche-Like, Environmentally Dependent Plastic Deformation

Nanoindentation experiments on disordered nanoparticle packings performed both in an atomic force microscope and in situ in a transmission electron microscope are used to investigate the mechanics of plastic deformation. Under an applied load, these highly porous films exhibit load drops, the magnitudes of which are consistent with an exponential population distribution. These load drops are attributed to local rearrangements of a small number of particles, which bear similarities to shear transformation zones and to the T1 process, both of which have been previously predicted for disordered packings. An increase in the relative humidity results in an increase in the number of observed load drops, indicating that the strength of the particle interactions has a significant effect on the modes of plastic deformation. These results suggest how disordered nanoparticle packings may be expected to behave in devices operating under varying environments.

A Flow-Controlled Finite Element Model of Noncommunicating Hydrocephalus

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced at a constant rate in the choroid plexuses of the lateral and third ventricles, and it predominately drains through the Sylvius aqueduct to the fourth ventricle. If the Sylvius aqueduct becomes obstructed, such as caused by a growing tumor adjacent to it, CSF accumulates in the ventricles and the ventricles expand significantly, leading to a medical condition known as noncommunicating, hydrocephalus.Copyright

A Large Deformation Finite Element Model for Non-Communicating Hydrocephalus

In a healthy brain, a continuous flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced in the choroid plexus, located in the lateral ventricles. Most of the CSF drains via the Sylvius aqueduct into the subarachnoid space around the brain, but a small amount flows directly through the cerebrum into the subarachnoid space inside the skull. Non-communicating hydrocephalus occurs when an obstruction blocks the Sylvius aqueduct. Because the cerebrum has only limited capacity for CSF to flow through it, CSF accumulates in the ventricles, yielding a significant increase in ventricular volume and deformation of the cerebrum, which may lead to tissue damage.Copyright