1,721,104 research outputs found
A Statistically-Based Continuum Theory for Polymers with Transient Networks
Full text linkWe present a physics-based theoretical framework to describe the transient mechanical response of polymers undergoing finite deformation. For this, a statistical description of the polymer network is provided by a distribution function that is allowed to evolve in time due to a combination of deformation and chain reconfiguration enabled by transient cross-links. After presenting the evolution law for the chain distribution function, we show that, using classical thermodynamics, one can determine how the entropy, elastic energy and true stress evolve in terms of the network configuration. In particular, we introduce the concept of distribution tensor, that enables a clean transition between the network statistics, its continuum representation and the macroscopic polymer response. In the context of Gaussian statistics, it is further shown that this tensor follows its own evolution law, enabling a simple handling of visco-elastic rubbers. The model degenerates to classical rubber elasticity when cross-links are permanent, while the case of viscous fluids is recovered for fast cross-link kinetics. The generality of the framework as well as its relevance to modeling a number of important dissipative processes occurring in polymers using a continuum approach are also discussed
A physics-based micromechanical model for electroactive viscoelastic polymers
No full textElectroactive polymers with time-dependent behavior are considered in the present paper by way of a new physics-based micromechanical model; such viscoelastic response is described by the internal evolution of the polymer network, providing a new viewpoint on the stress relaxation occurring in elastomers. The main peculiarity of such internally rearranging materials is their capacity to locally reset their reference stress-free state, leading to a mechanical behavior that relaxes out (eases off) an induced stress state and that can thus be assimilated to a sort of internal self-healing process. Such high deformability and recoverability displayed by dynamically cross-linked polymers can be conveniently exploited when they are coupled in electromechanical problems; the deformation induced by an electric field can be easily tuned by the intensity of the electric field itself and the obtained shape can be maintained without any electric influence once the material microstructure has rearranged after a sufficient curing time. In the present paper, both features of the polymeric material, that is, internal remodeling and electromechanical coupled response, are considered and a theoretical framework is established to simulate representative boundary value problems
A SIMPLE STATISTICAL APPROACH TO MODEL THE TIME-DEPENDENT RESPONSE OF POLYMERS WITH REVERSIBLE CROSS-LINKS
No full textA new class of polymers characterized by dynamic cross-links is analyzed from a mechanical point of
view. A thermodynamically consistent model is developed within the Lagrangian framework for polymers
that can rearrange their internal cross-links. Such a class of polymers has the capability to reset
their internal microstructure and the microscopic remodeling mechanism leads to a behavior similar to
that of an elastic fluid. These materials can potentially be used in several fields, such as in biomechanics,
smart materials, morphing materials to cite e few. However, a comprehensive understanding is necessary
before we can predict their behavior and perform material design for advanced technologies. The proposed
formulation efollowing a statistical approach adapted from classical rubber elasticitye is based on
the evolution of the molecular chains' end-to-end distance distribution function. This distribution is
allowed here to evolve with time, starting from an initial stress-free state and depending on the
deformation history and the cross-link attachment/detachment kinetics. Some simple examples are
finally presented and discussed to illustrate the capability and generality of the developed approac
RATE-DEPENDENT FAILURE MECHANISM OF ELASTOMERS
No full textElastomers display a mechanical behavior that is, both in the elastic as well as at the incipient failure, quite
different from that of traditional materials. Their mechanical characteristics makes them attractive to a myriad
of applications ranging from rubber, optical lenses to tissue engineering scaffolds. Their study is therefore
fundamental for understanding and controlling their mechanical response, especially when it involves large deformation,
viscous effects and damage nucleation around defects. In the present paper we consider the mechanical
response up to final failure, of pre-cracked silicone sheets under different strain rates. A simple statistically-based
theoretical model, combined with a failure criterion, is formulated to describe the observed complex mechanical
response. The model is further implemented in a finite element model to provide comparison of the damage
nucleation predicted by the model and those obtained from experimental tests
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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