Preface: Mechanics of soft materials and flexible structures

Acta Mechanica Sinica -     

EFFECTS OF DISLOCATION CONFIGURATION, CRACK BLUNTING AND FREE SURFACES ON THE TRIGGERING LOAD OF DISLOCATION SOURCES

The effects of dislocation configuration,crack blunting and free surfaces on the triggering load of dislocation sources in the vicinity of a crack or a wedge tip subjected to a tensile load in the far field are investigated.An appropriate triggering criterion for dislocation sources is proposed by considering the configurational forces acting on each dislocation.The triggering behaviors of dislocation sources near the tips of a crack and a wedge are compared.It is also found that the blunting of crack tip and the presence of free surfaces near the crack or the wedge have considerable influences on the triggering load of dislocation sources.This study might be of significance to gaining a deeper understanding of the brittle-to-ductile transition of materials.     

The mechanical problems in tumor and tumor microenvironment

肿瘤微环境包括肿瘤细胞、间质细胞、细胞外基质等.其在肿瘤的生长和发展过程中起着关键作用.肿瘤的微环境与正常组织的微环境有着显著的不同.肿瘤中的压应力对微环境有着多方面的影响, 例如, 可调控血管与淋巴管的功能, 造成代谢异常和间质高压, 压缩间隙基质, 增大药物输运的困难, 促进间质细胞变异并诱导肿瘤细胞转移. 因此, 肿瘤中的力学因素引起了广泛关注.本文总结了肿瘤及其微环境力学问题的研究进展, 讨论了肿瘤微环境中应力产生、药物输运、肿瘤转移等问题, 介绍了肿瘤微环境正常化的策略及其对肿瘤治疗的意义.     

MICROMECHANICAL MODELLING OF STRAIN SOFTENING IN MICROCRACK-WEAKENED QUASI-BRITTLE MATERIALS

By using the concept of domain of microcrack growth(DMG),themicromechanisms of damage in quasi-brittle materials subjected to triaxial either tensileor compressive loading are investigated and the complete strew-strain relation includingfour stages is obtained from micromechanical analysis.The regime of pre-peaknonlinear hardening corresponds to the distributed damage,i.e.the stable propagationof microcracks.After the attainment of the ultimate strength of load-bearing capacity,some microcracks experience the second unstable growth and the distributed damage istransmitted to the localization of damage.These analyses improve our understanding ofthe hardening and softening behaviors of quasi-brittle materials.     

Droplet Precise Self-Splitting on Patterned Adhesive Surfaces for Simultaneous Multidetection

Precise separation and localization of microdroplets are fundamental for various fields, such as high-throughput screening, combinatorial chemistry, and the recognition of complex analytes. We have developed a droplet self-splitting strategy to divide an impacting droplet into predictable microdroplets and deposit them at preset spots for simultaneous multidetection. No matter exchange was observed between these microdroplets, so they could be manipulated independently. Droplet self-splitting was attributed to anisotropic liquid recoiling on the patterned adhesive surface, as influenced by the droplet Weber number and the width of the low-adhesive stripe. A quantitative criterion was also developed to judge the droplet self-splitting capability. The precise separation and distribution of microdroplets enabled simultaneous arrayed reactions and multiple analyte detection using one droplet of sample.     

SURFACE STRESS EFFECT IN MECHANICS OF NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS

This review article summarizes the advances in the surface stress effect in mechanics of nanostructured elements,including nanoparticles,nanowires,nanobeams,and nanofilms,and heterogeneous materials containing nanoscale inhomogeneities.It begins with the fundamental formulations of surface mechanics of solids,including the definition of surface stress as a surface excess quantity,the surface constitutive relations,and the surface equilibrium equations.Then,it depicts some theoretical and experimental studies of the mechanical properties of nanostructured elements,as well as the static and dynamic behaviour of cantilever sensors caused by the surface stress which is influenced by adsorption.Afterwards,the article gives a summary of the analytical elasto-static and dynamic solutions of a single as well as multiple inhomogeneities embedded in a matrix with the interface stress prevailing.The effect of surface elasticity on the diffraction of elastic waves is elucidated.Due to the difficulties in the analytical solution of inhomogeneities of complex shapes and configurations,finite element approaches have been developed for heterogeneous materials with the surface stress.Surface stress and surface energy are inherently related to crack propagation and the stress field in the vicinity of crack tips.The solutions of crack problems taking into account surface stress effects are also included.Predicting the effective elastic and plastic responses of heterogeneous materials while taking into account surface and interface stresses has received much attention.The advances in this topic are inevitably delineated.Mechanics of rough surfaces appears to deserve special attention due to its theoretical and practical implications.Some most recent work is reviewed.Finally,some challenges are pointed out.They include the characterization of surfaces and interfaces of real nanomaterials,experimental measurements and verification of mechanical parameters of complex surfaces,and the effects of the physical and chemical processes on the surface properties,etc.     

Effects of temperature change on the rheological property of modified multiwall carbon nanotubes

Applied Mathematics and Mechanics - Solvent-free nanofluids hold promise for many technologically significant applications. The liquid-like behavior, a typical rheological property of solvent-free...     

Biomechanics in “Sino-Italian Joint”

Acta Mechanica Sinica -