University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Incompatible strains associated with defects in nematic elastomers

Fried, Eliot; Sellers, Shaun

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/326

Description

Title
Incompatible strains associated with defects in nematic elastomers
Author(s)
  • Fried, Eliot
  • Sellers, Shaun
Issue Date
2005-08
Abstract
In a nematic elastomer the deformation of the polymer network chains is coupled to the orientational order of the mesogenic groups. Here we use the neo-classical model for this coupling supplemented by the usual Frank energy to show that the formation of defects in the orientational order may require incompatible strains of the polymer network chains. The incompatibility is measured by the Riemann curvature tensor, which we find to be nonzero for both radial hedgehog defects and escaped disclinations of strength +1 in circular cylinders. Incompatible strains are expected to be typical for equilibrium states of inhomogeneous alignment of the mesogens.
Publisher
Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (UIUC)
Series/Report Name or Number
TAM Reports 1068, (2005)
ISSN
0073-5264
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/326

Owning Collections

Technical Reports - Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (TAM) PRIMARY
TAM technical reports include manuscripts intended for publication, theses judged to have general interest, notes prepared for short courses, symposia compiled from outstanding undergraduate projects, and reports prepared for research-sponsoring agencies.