Estimating the yield stress of soft materials via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Taking three typical soft samples prepared respectively by loose packings of 77-,95-,and 109-μm copper grains as examples,we perform an experiment to investigate the energy-dependent laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)of soft materials.We discovered a reversal phenomenon in the trend of energy dependence of plasma emission intensity:increasing initially and then decreasing separated by a well-defined critical energy.The trend reversal is attributed to the laser-induced recoil pressure at the critical energy just matching the sample's yield strength.As a result,a one-to-one correspondence can be well established between the samples'yield stress and the critical energy that is easily obtainable from LIBS measurements.This allows us to propose an innovative method for estimating the yield stress of soft materials via LIBS with attractive advantages including in-situ remote detection,real-time data collection,and minimal destructive to sample.

Acoustomechanical constitutive theory for soft materials

Acoustic wave propagation from surrounding medium into a soft material can generate acoustic radiation stress due to acoustic momentum transfer inside the medium and material, as well as at the interface between the two. To analyze acoustic-induced deformation of soft materials, we establish an acoustomechanical constitutive theory by combining the acoustic radiation stress theory and the nonlinear elasticity theory for soft materials. The acoustic radiation stress tensor is formulated by time averaging the momentum equation of particle motion, which is then introduced into the nonlinear elasticity constitutive relation to construct the acoustomechanical constitutive theory for soft materials.Considering a specified case of soft material sheet subjected to two counter-propagating acoustic waves, we demonstrate the nonlinear large deformation of the soft material and analyze the interaction between acoustic waves and material deformation under the conditions of total reflection, acoustic transparency, and acoustic mismatch.

Advances in Soft Materials for Sustainable Electronics

In the current shift from conventional fossil-fuel-based materials to renewable energy,ecofriendly materials have attracted extensive research interest due to their sustainability and biodegradable properties.The integration of sustainable materials in electronics provides industrial benefits from wasted bio-origin resources and preserves the environment.This review covers the use of sustainable materials as components in organic electronics,such as substrates,insulators,semiconductors,and conductors.We hope this review will stimulate interest in the potential and practical applications of sustainable materials for green and sustainable industry.

Development of a micro-indentation device for measuring the mechanical properties of soft materials

Indentation is a simple and nondestructive method to measure the mechanical properties of soft materials, such as hydrogels, elastomers and soft tissues. In this work, we have developed a micro-indentation system with high-precision to measure the mechanical properties of soft materials, where the shear modulus and Poisson＇s ratio of the materials can be obtained by analyzing the load relaxation curve. We have validated the accuracy and stability of the system by comparing the measured mechanical properties of a polyethylene glycol sample with that obtained from a commercial instrument. The mechanical properties of another typical polydimethylsiloxane sample submerged in heptane are measured by using conical and spherical indenters, respectively. The measured values of shear modulus and Poisson＇s ratio are within a reasonable range.

Viscosity Transient Phenomenon in Drop Impact Testing of Soft Material

The authors carried out drop impact tests for several soft materials under a flat frontal impact condition in which a drop hammer with a flat bottom surface strikes a plate-like soft material in the normal direction. The experimental results indicated that the impact force waveforms of soft materials consisted of a thorn-shaped waveform and a subsequent mountain-shaped waveform. The thorn-shaped waveform was strongly affected by the strain rate. In the present study, the occurrence mechanism of this distinctive waveform was discussed from the viewpoint of the viscosity transient phenomenon. A standard linear solid (SLS) model in which the viscosity transient phenomenon was considered was applied to the simulation. Some features of the impact force waveform of soft materials could be explained by the SLS model. Furthermore, the thorn-shape waveform could also be observed in the impact force waveforms of human skin and free-falling hollow balls.

Editorial: Mechanics of soft materials, structures and systems

The concept of soft matter was first introduced by P. G. de Gennes in his acceptance speech for the No-bel Physics Prize in 1991. In mechanics community, however, people usually prefer using soft material in-stead of soft matter to describe the material whose en-ergy associated with thermal motion is comparative to the interaction energy. Unlike in the conventional con-densed matter, entropy plays an important and even de-terminative role in soft materials.

Study on Semi-Continuous Technology System for Soft Material Stripping in Large Surface Mines

Continuous and semi-continuous mining technology has become the main trend of modern surface mines in the world. According to the deposit characteristics of coal basin in China and Chinese situation,this paper discussed the new semi-continuous technology── shovel - transfer wagon-belt conveyor and its application prospect in large surface coal mines in China.

Electroactive soft materials with high stretchability and transparency

Nowadays,with the rapid development of wearable devices,more and more electroactive soft materials have approached to the scene view of human and flexible polymer materials are the most widely studied in this field[1-5].These materials can be applied in soft robotics,sensors,batteries and so on[6-8].However,flexible polymer materials have some drawbacks.For example,as the most common flexible ionic conductors,hydrogels cannot bear extreme temperatures and they have terrible stability in air environment.These flaws result in their short service life.And the classical dielectric materials VHB need high driving voltage,so there is a strong risk in applications[9-10].Therefore,existing flexible polymer materials cannot be large-scale used.

Thorn-Shape Waveform and Double-Strike Phenomenon Seen in the Impact Force of Soft Materials

In the impact tests of soft materials, we sometimes observe a thorn shape in the rising segment of the impact force waveform. However, the reason for the occurrence of the thorn shape has not been made clear. In this study, thorn-shape waveforms of several soft materials are measured using compact drop test equipment under the condition of a flat frontal impact. A flat frontal impact is the condition where a drop hammer with a flat bottom surface strikes a plate-like soft material in the normal direction. Synchronized impact forces are measured using two sensors installed on both the drop hammer side and the floor side. The examined soft materials are a sponge sheet, sponge rubber sheet, gel sheet, rubber sheet, flat oil clay, low-rebound urethane foam, cork sheet, sliced ham, pork ham steak, and pork. Based on the test results, the features of the thorn-shape waveforms are discussed from a bird’s-eye view. Furthermore, the occurrence mechanism of the thorn-shape waveforms is discussed from the viewpoint of viscosity discontinuity and the double-strike phenomenon.

Regulation and control of wet friction of soft materials using surface texturing:A review

Surface texturing is a smart strategy that is commonly used in nature or industry to improve the tribological properties of sliding surfaces.Herein,we focus on the recent research progress pertaining to the wet friction modification of soft elastomers via texturing.To consider the pertinent physical mechanisms,we present and discuss the fundamentals of wet sliding on soft surfaces(including dewetting and wetting transitions in compliant contacts).Subsequently,we consider the methods in which the characteristic textures regulate and control wet sliding behaviors on soft surfaces;these textures range from conventional patterns of dimples to bioinspired architectures and can either positively or adversely impact the interfacial friction force.Furthermore,we briefly address the perspectives,potential applications,and challenges of texture design for modifying the friction characteristics of soft materials.

Experimental research based on a C-band compact transit-time oscillator with a novel diode loading an embedded soft magnetic material and shielding structure

In order to reduce the external magnetic field and improve the conversion efficiency of high-power microwave generation devices with low external magnetic field,a novel diode with an embedded soft magnetic and shielding structure is proposed.The soft magnetic material is designed to enhance the local magnetic field in the diode region.Moreover,the diode applies a shielding structure which can reduce the radial electric field.From simulation research,it is found that the emission and transmission quality of the electron beam with low magnetic field is greatly improved when loading this diode.Through simulation research,it is verified that the diode can increase the conversion efficiency of the transit-time oscillator(TTO)from 30%to 36.7%.In our experimental study,under the conditions of a diode voltage of 540 kV and a current of 10.5 kA,the output microwave power is 1.51 GW when loading the novel diode and the microwave frequency is 4.27 GHz when an external guiding magnetic field of 0.3 T is applied.The corresponding conversion efficiency is improved from 20.0%to 26.6%,which is 6.6%higher than that of a device loaded with a conventional diode.Our experiments have verified that this novel diode can effectively improve the conversion efficiency of high-power microwave sources operating with low magnetic field,and contribute to the miniaturization and compactness of high-power microwave devices.

Regional stretch method to measure the elastic and hyperelastic properties of soft materials

soft materials;;hyperelasticity;;adhesion;;dimensional analysis;;inverse

Simultaneous multi-material embedded printing for 3D heterogeneous structures

In order to mimic the natural heterogeneity of native tissue and provide a better microenvironment for cell culturing,multi-material bioprinting has become a common solution to construct tissue models in vitro.With the embedded printing method,complex 3D structure can be printed using soft biomaterials with reasonable shape fidelity.However,the current sequential multi-material embedded printing method faces a major challenge,which is the inevitable trade-off between the printed structural integrity and printing precision.Here,we propose a simultaneous multi-material embedded printing method.With this method,we can easily print firmly attached and high-precision multilayer structures.With multiple individually controlled nozzles,different biomaterials can be precisely deposited into a single crevasse,minimizing uncontrolled squeezing and guarantees no contamination of embedding medium within the structure.We analyse the dynamics of the extruded bioink in the embedding medium both analytically and experimentally,and quantitatively evaluate the effects of printing parameters including printing speed and rheology of embedding medium,on the 3D morphology of the printed filament.We demonstrate the printing of double-layer thin-walled structures,each layer less than 200μm,as well as intestine and liver models with 5%gelatin methacryloyl that are crosslinked and extracted from the embedding medium without significant impairment or delamination.The peeling test further proves that the proposed method offers better structural integrity than conventional sequential printing methods.The proposed simultaneous multi-material embedded printing method can serve as a powerful tool to support the complex heterogeneous structure fabrication and open unique prospects for personalized medicine.

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS ON SOFT MATERIAL CONTACT PROBLEMS BY DIGITAL MOIR AND EMBEDDED-GRATING METHODS

Soft material is becoming increasingly important to many industries, which leads to the demand for a better understanding of its mechanical properties under large deformation. In this paper, a technique of integrating the digital moire method and embedded-grating approach is presented for investigating mechanical behaviors of a vulcanized silicone rubber in contact with a wedge-shaped indenter. Two distinct deformation sectors are observed from the experimental result. A simple way of computing strain is also presented by analysing grid deformation within the framework of geometrical nonlinearity. Three regions were observed from strain distribution along the horizontal direction： the contact region, the sink-in region and the far-field region. Moreover, the extent of the sticky region and that of the slippy region within the contact interface are distinguished, which can provide realistic data for theoretical modelling. Based on the finite deformation elasticity theory, the distribution of contact pressure and shear stress over the contact interface are derived for prediction of possible cracks.

Dynamic analysis and active control of hard-magnetic soft materials

The hard-magnetic soft materials which can sustain high residual magnetic flux density gradually attract the attention of researchers because of potential applications in soft robotics and biomedical fields.In this work,we focus on the dynamic response of hardmagnetic soft materials.The dynamic motion equations are derived by the Euler-Lagrange equation.The effects of the aspect radio on the nonlinear vibration of the hard-magnetic soft cuboid under the force and applied magnetic fields in different directions are investigated.The amplitude-frequency curves demonstrate that the aspect ratio also has an influence on the frequency and amplitude of the primary resonance.Moreover,to eliminate undesired vibration responses,the PID controller is applied to the vibration of the hardmagnetic soft materials,and the desired results can be obtained.

Tunability of Band Gaps of Programmable Hard-Magnetic Soft Material Phononic Crystals

In this paper,the elastic wave band gap characteristics of two-dimensional hard-magnetic soft material phononic crystals(HmSM-PnCs)under the applied magnetic field are studied.Firstly,the relevant material parameters of hard-magnetic soft materials(HmSMs)are obtained by the experimental measurement.Then the finite element model of the programmable HmSM-PnCs is established to calculate its band structure under the applied magnetic field.The effects of some factors such as magnetic field,structure thickness,structure porosity,and magnetic anisotropy encoding mode on the band gap are given.The results show that the start and stop frequencies and band gap width can be tunable by changing the magnetic field.The magnetic anisotropy encoding mode has a remarkable effect on the number of band gaps and the critical magnetic field of band gaps.In addition,the effect of geometric size on PnC structure is also discussed.With the increase of the structure thickness,the start and stop frequencies of the band gap increase.

A Review of Smart Materials for the Boost of Soft Actuators,Soft Sensors,and Robotics Applications

With the advance of smart material science,robotics is evolving from rigid robots to soft robots.Compared to rigid robots,soft robots can safely interact with the environment,easily navigate in unstructured fields,and be minimized to operate in narrow spaces,owning to the new actuation and sensing technologies developed by the smart materials.In the review,different actuation and sensing technologies based on different smart materials are analyzed and summarized.According to the driving or feedback signals,actuators are categorized into electrically responsive actuators,thermally responsive actuators,magnetically responsive actuators,and photoresponsive actuators;sensors are categorized into resistive sensors,capacitive sensors,magnetic sensors,and optical waveguide sensors.After introducing the principle and several robotic prototypes of some typical materials in each category of the actuators and sensors.The advantages and disadvantages of the actuators and sensors are compared based on the categories,and their potential applications in robotics are also presented.

Hopkinson Effect in Soft Magnetic Materials

The μi-T curves of the alloy Fe73.5Cu1 Nb3Si13.5B9 in the amorphous state and in the nanocrys-talline state have been investigated. For comparison, μi-T curves of the other two kinds of typical soft magnetic alloys also have been measured. It was found that a sharp Hopkinson peak appeared at the Curie point for each amorphous and crystalline alloy but there was no Hopkinson peak for the nanocrystalline alloy at the Curie point of the residual amorphous phase. This phenomenon has been explained in terms of the characteristic temperature dependence of the effective magnetic anisotropy.

Theory,technology and application of grouted bolting in soft rock roadways of deep coal mines

The grouted bolt,combining rock bolting with grouting techniques,provides an effective solution for controlling the surrounding rock in deep soft rock and fractured roadways.It has been extensively applied in numerous deep mining areas characterized by soft rock roadways,where it has demonstrated remarkable control results.This article systematically explores the evolution of grouted bolting,covering its theoretical foundations,design methods,materials,construction processes,monitoring measures,and methods for assessing its effectiveness.The overview encompassed several key elements,delving into anchoring theory and grouting reinforcement theory.The new principle of high pretensioned high-pressure splitting grouted bolting collaborative active control is introduced.A fresh method for dynamic information design is also highlighted.The discussion touches on both conventional grouting rock bolts and cable bolts,as well as innovative grouted rock bolts and cables characterized by their high pretension,strength,and sealing hole pressure.An examination of the merits and demerits of standard inorganic and organic grouting materials versus the new inorganic–organic composite materials,including their specific application conditions,was conducted.Additionally,the article presents various methods and instruments to assess the support effect of grouting rock bolts,cable bolts,and grouting reinforcement.Furthermore,it provides a foundation for understanding the factors influencing decisions on grouted bolting timing,the sequence of grouting,the pressure applied,the volume of grout used,and the strategic arrangement of grouted rock bolts and cable bolts.The application of the high pretensioned high-pressure splitting grouted bolting collaborative control technology in a typical kilometer-deep soft rock mine in China—the soft coal seam and soft rock roadway in the Kouzidong coal mine,Huainan coal mining area,was introduced.Finally,the existing problems in grouted bolting control technology for deep soft rock roadways are analyzed,and the future development trend of grouted bolting control technology is anticipated.

High permeability and bimodal resonance structure of flaky soft magnetic composite materials

We establish a theoretical bimodal model for the complex permeability of flaky soft magnetic composite materials to explain the variability of their initial permeability.The new model is motivated by finding the two natural resonance peaks to be inconsistent with the combination of the domain wall resonance and the natural resonance.In the derivation of the model,two relationships are explored:the first one is the relationship between the number of magnetic domains and the permeability,and the second one is the relationship between the natural resonance and the domain wall resonance.This reveals that the ball milling causes the number of magnetic domains to increase and the maximum initial permeability to exist after 10 h of ball milling.An experiment is conducted to demonstrate the reliability of the proposed model.The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.This new model is of great significance for studying the mechanism and applications of the resonance loss for soft magnetic composite materials in high frequency fields.