Issue 33, 2023

Torsion and bistability of double-twist elastomers

Abstract

We investigate the elastic properties of anisotropic elastomers with a double-twist director field, which is a model for collagen fibrils or blue phases. We observe a significant Poynting-like effect, coupling torsion (fibril twist) and extension. For freely-rotating boundary conditions, we identify a structural bistability at very small extensional strains which undergoes a saddle-node bifurcation at a critical strain – at approximately 1% strain for a parameterization appropriate for collagen fibrils. With clamped boundary conditions appropriate for many experimental setups, the bifurcation is not present. We expect significant helical shape effects when fixed torsion does not equal the equilibrium torsion of freely-rotating boundary conditions, due to residual torques.

Graphical abstract: Torsion and bistability of double-twist elastomers

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Apr 2023
Accepted
02 Aug 2023
First published
02 Aug 2023

Soft Matter, 2023,19, 6376-6386

Torsion and bistability of double-twist elastomers

M. P. Leighton, L. Kreplak and A. D. Rutenberg, Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 6376 DOI: 10.1039/D3SM00554B

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