A new operator splitting algorithm for elastoviscoplastic flow problems

International audienceThis paper presents an efficient time-dependent decoupled approach for the numerical resolution of the highly nonlinear set of coupled partial differential equations appearing in elastoviscoplastic fluid flow problems. The two main nonlinear difficulties, the viscoplasticity and the viscoelasticity, are then solved separately. Numerical simulations suggest an optimal convergence rate with respect to the space discretization. Finally, numerical results compare well with experimental measurements on liquid foams in a complex geometry. Future works will explore flows of liquid foams for tridimensional geometries where experimental data are available and also compare to flows of others soft glassy materials such as carbopol solutions

Guaranteed and robust a posteriori error estimates for singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion problems

International audienceWe derive a posteriori error estimates for singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion problems which yield a guaranteed upper bound on the discretization error and are fully and easily computable. Moreover, they are also locally efficient and robust in the sense that they represent local lower bounds for the actual error, up to a generic constant independent in particular of the reaction coefficient. We present our results in the framework of the vertex-centered finite volume method but their nature is general for any conforming method, like the piecewise linear finite element one. Our estimates are based on a H(div)-conforming reconstruction of the diffusive flux in the lowest-order Raviart-Thomas space linked with mesh dual to the original simplicial one, previously introduced by the last author in the pure diffusion case. They also rely on elaborated Poincaré, Friedrichs, and trace inequalities-based auxiliary estimates designed to cope optimally with the reaction dominance. In order to bring down the ratio of the estimated and actual overall energy error as close as possible to the optimal value of one, independently of the size of the reaction coefficient, we finally develop the ideas of local minimizations of the estimators by local modifications of the reconstructed diffusive flux. The numerical experiments presented confirm the guaranteed upper bound, robustness, and excellent efficiency of the derived estimates

Understanding and predicting viscous, elastic, plastic flows

International audienceFoams, gels, emulsions, polymer solutions, pastes and even cell assemblies display both liquid and solid mechanical properties. On a local scale, such "soft glassy" systems are disordered assemblies of deformable rearranging units, the complexity of which gives rise to their striking flow behavior. On a global scale, experiments show that their mechanical behavior depends on the orientation of their elastic deformation with respect to the flow direction, thus requiring a description by tensorial equations for continuous materials. However, due to their strong non-linearities, the numerous candidate models have not yet been solved in a general multidimensional geometry to provide stringent tests of their validity. We compute the first solutions of a continuous model for a discriminant benchmark, namely the flow around an obstacle. We compare it with experiments of a foam flow and find an excellent agreement with the spatial distribution of all important features: we accurately predict the experimental fields of velocity, elastic deformation, and plastic deformation rate in terms of magnitude, direction, and anisotropy. We analyze the role of each parameter, and demonstrate that the yield strain is the main dimensionless parameter required to characterize the materials. We evidence the dominant effect of elasticity, which explains why the stress does not depend simply on the shear rate. Our results demonstrate that the behavior of soft glassy materials cannot be reduced to an intermediate between that of a solid and that of a liquid: the viscous, the elastic and the plastic contributions to the flow, as well as their couplings, must be treated simultaneously. Our approach opens the way to the realistic multidimensional prediction of complex flows encountered in geophysical, industrial and biological applications, and to the understanding of the link between structure and rheology of soft glassy systems

Steady Couette flows of elastoviscoplastic fluids are non-unique

International audienceThe Herschel-Bulkley rheological fluid model includes terms representing viscosity and plasticity. In this classical model, below the yield stress the material is strictly rigid. Complementing this model by including elastic behaviour below the yield stress leads to a description of an elastoviscoplastic (EVP) material such as an emulsion or a liquid foam. We include this modification in a completely tensorial description of cylindrical Couette shear flows. Both the EVP model parameters, at the scale of a representative volume element, and the predictions (velocity, strain and stress fields) can be readily compared with experiments. We perform a detailed study of the effect of the main parameters, especially the yield strain. We discuss the role of the curvature of the cylindrical Couette geometry in the appearance of localisation; we determine the value of the localisation length and provide an approximate analytical expression. We then show that, in this tensorial EVP model of cylindrical Couette shear flow, the normal stress difference strongly influences the velocity profiles, which can be smooth or non-smooth according to the initial conditions on the stress. This feature could explain several open questions regarding experimental measurements on Couette flows for various EVP materials such as emulsions or liquid foams, including the non-reproducibility that has been reported in flows of foams. We then discuss the suitability of Couette flows as a way to measure rheological properties of EVP materials

Coupling mechanical and hydraulic processes in multicellular models of plant development.

The study of plant growth has recently been revisited with the new possibility to investigate the dynamics of growth at tissue level. Experimental set-ups have now dramatically progressed and make it possible to measure growth variable (geometry, rigidity of cell walls, pressures, …). This opens the way to study how tissues acquire their shapes through genetic and mechanical processes. Up to now, models of shape development have mainly focussed on cell wall properties at cellular level (rigidity and anisotropy). However, growth is primarily powered by water fluxes and cell turgor. In this work, we propose a new multicellular model to study the interaction between the hydraulic and mechanical processes involved in tissue development. In this model, turgor pressure appears as a flexible variable that can mediate between various growth constraints

Composite waves for a cell population system modelling tumor growth and invasion

International audienceThe recent biomechanical theory of cancer growth considers solid tumors as liquid-like materials comprising elastic components. In this fluid mechanical view, the expansion ability of a solid tumor into a host tissue is mainly driven by either the cell diffusion constant or the cell division rate, the latter depending either on the local cell density (contact inhibition), on mechanical stress in the tumor, or both. For the two by two degenerate parabolic/elliptic reaction-diffusion system that results from this modeling, we prove there are always traveling waves above a minimal speed and we analyse their shapes. They appear to be complex with composite shapes and discontinuities. Several small parameters allow for analytical solutions; in particular the incompressible cells limit is very singular and related to the Hele-Shaw equation. These singular traveling waves are recovered numerically

Mechanics of epithelial closure over non-adherent environments

International audienceThe closure of gaps within epithelia is crucial to maintain its integrity during biological processes such as wound healing and gastrulation. Depending on the distribution of extracellular matrix, gap closure occurs through assembly of multicellular actin-based contractile cables or protrusive activity of border cells into the gap. Here we show that the supracellular actomyosin contractility of cells near the gap edge exerts sufficient tension on the surrounding tissue to promote closure of non-adherent gaps. Using traction force microscopy, we observe that cell-generated forces on the substrate at the gap edge first point away from the centre of the gap and then increase in the radial direction pointing into the gap as closure proceeds. Combining with numerical simulations, we show that the increase in force relies less on localized purse-string contractility and more on large-scale remodelling of the suspended tissue around the gap. Our results provide a framework for understanding the assembly and the mechanics of cellular contractility at the tissue level

Mechanics of epithelial closure over non-adherent environments

The closure of gaps within epithelia is crucial to maintain its integrity during biological processes such as wound healing and gastrulation. Depending on the distribution of extracellular matrix, gap closure occurs through assembly of multicellular actin-based contractile cables or protrusive activity of border cells into the gap. Here we show that the supracellular actomyosin contractility of cells near the gap edge exerts sufficient tension on the surrounding tissue to promote closure of non-adherent gaps. Using traction force microscopy, we observe that cell-generated forces on the substrate at the gap edge first point away from the centre of the gap and then increase in the radial direction pointing into the gap as closure proceeds. Combining with numerical simulations, we show that the increase in force relies less on localized purse-string contractility and more on large-scale remodelling of the suspended tissue around the gap. Our results provide a framework for understanding the assembly and the mechanics of cellular contractility at the tissue level

Modélisation numérique d'écoulements de mousse

Liquid foam flows are involved in numerous applications, e.g. food and cosmetics industries, oil extraction, nuclear decontamination. Moreover, their study leads to fundamental knowledge: as it is easier to manipulate and analyse, foam is used as a model material to understand the flow of emulsions, polymers, pastes, or cell agregates, all of which display both solid and liquid behaviour. Systematic experiments performed by François Graner et al. provide precise data that emphasize the non newtonian properties of the foam. Meanwhile, Pierre Saramito proposed a visco-elasto-plastic continuous tensorial model, akin to predict the behaviour of the foam. The goal of this thesis is to understand this complex behaviour, using these two elements. We have built and validated a resolution algorithm based on a bidimensional finite elements methods. The numerical solutions are in excellent agreement with the spatial distribution of all measured quantitities, and confirm the predictive capabilities of the model. The dominant parameters have been identified and we evidenced the fact that the viscous, elastic, and plastic contributions to the flow have to be treated simultaneously in a tensorial formalism. We provide a substantial contribution to the understanding of foams and open the path to realistic simulations of complex VEP flows for industrial applications.Les écoulements de mousse liquide sont directement impliqués dans de nombreuses applications dans des domaines aussi variés que les industries agro-alimentaire et cosmétique, l'extraction pétrolière, ou encore la décontamination nucléaire. Par ailleurs, l'étude des mousses apporte des connaissances fondamentales : plus facile à manipuler et analyser, la mousse est un fluide modèle pour comprendre des matériaux tels que les émulsions, les polymères, les pâtes, ou les agrégats de cellules, qui possèdent à la fois des propriétés liquides et solides. Les expériences systématiques réalisées par l'équipe de F. Graner ont fourni une série de données précises qui mettent l'accent sur les propriétés non newtoniennes de la mousse. Dans le même temps, P. Saramito a proposé un modèle visco-élasto-plastique (VEP) continu et tensoriel, à même de prédire le comportement de la mousse. L'objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre ce comportement complexe en s'appuyant sur ces deux éléments. Nous avons élaboré et validé un algorithme de résolution basé sur une méthode d'éléments finis bidimensionnelle. Les solutions numériques sont en excellent accord avec tous les champs mesurés (vitesse, déformation élastique, taux de déformation plastique), et nous avons confirmé le caractère prédictif du modèle. Nous avons identifié les paramètres dominants et établi la nécessité de traiter simultanément les contributions visqueuse, élastique, et plastique dans un formalisme tensoriel. Notre travail apporte une contribution substantielle à la compréhension des mousses et ouvre la voie à la simulation réaliste d'écoulements complexes de fluides VEP en vue d'applications industrielles