Mesures de champ dans des écoulements complexes pour l'identification du comportement d'un polyéthylène basse densité

http://hdl.handle.net/2042/16620International audienceIn this study, we present preliminary experimental results for the evaluation and identification of constitutive equations for viscoelastic polymer melts using flow field measurements such as Laser-Doppler velocimetry and flow-induced birefringence. We focus on the influence of temperature and flow rate on the vortex size of a secondary flow of a low density polyethylene which strongly depends on balance between shear and extensional rheological properties of the material. Further work will show that this method, coupled with numerical simulations, can be applied to identify non-linear parameters of a Pom-pom like constitutive equation by using an inverse analysis procedure = On présente les premiers résultats d'une étude dont le contexte est l'évaluation et l'identification de lois de comportement par l'utilisation de méthodes de mesures de champ telles que la vélocimétrie Laser-Doppler et la biréfringence d'écoulement. On s'intéresse à l'influence de la température et du débit sur la taille de recirculations dans l'écoulement d'un polyéthylène basse densité. La taille de ces recirculations est fortement dépendante des propriétés mécaniques relatives du matériau en cisaillement et élongation. Ces mesures seront utilisées pour l'identification d'un modèle de type pom-pom par une méthode d'identification inverse

Investigation of LDPE converging flows using fieldwise measurements techniques

International audienceThis study is devoted to the analysis of the secondary flow of a low-density polyethylene melt occurring in the entrance region of extrusion dies. From a processing point of view, the appearance of secondary flows can lead to flow instabilities (as observed for helical defect in circular channels) and polymer degradation (due to long residence times). The flow is investigated in the entrance region of a flow channel by means of both Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) and Flow Induced Birefringence (FIB) using a transparent slit die with a planar contraction of 14:1. We focus on the influence of temperature T and flow rate Q on the vortex size of the secondary flow, which strongly depends on balance between shear and extensional rheological properties of the material, as previously observed by means of LDV. The same dependence with T and Q is also observed on FIB patterns, in which one can identify a boundary line which exhibits a strong contrast in the birefringence pattern. This contrast could be related to the fact that molecular conformations (and consequently the birefringence pattern) change locally due to a different thermomechanical history, which indeed would occur close to the vortex boundary

Soft Listeria: actin-based propulsion of liquid drops

We study the motion of oil drops propelled by actin polymerization in cell extracts. Drops deform and acquire a pear-like shape under the action of the elastic stresses exerted by the actin comet. We solve this free boundary problem and calculate the drop shape taking into account the elasticity of the actin gel and the variation of the polymerization velocity with normal stress. The pressure balance on the liquid drop imposes a zero propulsive force if gradients in surface tension or internal pressure are not taken into account. Quantitative parameters of actin polymerization are obtained by fitting theory to experiment.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Mesures de champ dans des écoulements complexes pour l'identification du comportement d'un polyéthylène basse densité

In this study, we present preliminary experimental results for the evaluation and identification of constitutive equations for viscoelastic polymer melts using flow field measurements such as Laser-Doppler velocimetry and flow-induced birefringence. We focus on the influence of temperature and flow rate on the vortex size of a secondary flow of a low density polyethylene which strongly depends on balance between shear and extensional rheological properties of the material. Further work will show that this method, coupled with numerical simulations, can be applied to identify non-linear parameters of a Pom-pom like constitutive equation by using an inverse analysis procedure

Dynamics of a deformable self-propelled particle under external forcing

We investigate dynamics of a self-propelled deformable particle under external field in two dimensions based on the model equations for the center of mass and a tensor variable characterizing deformations. We consider two kinds of external force. One is a gravitational-like force which enters additively in the time-evolution equation for the center of mass. The other is an electric-like force supposing that a dipole moment is induced in the particle. This force is added to the equation for the deformation tensor. It is shown that a rich variety of dynamics appears by changing the strength of the forces and the migration velocity of self-propelled particle

In Silico Reconstitution of Actin-Based Symmetry Breaking and Motility

Computational modeling and experimentation in a model system for actin-based force generation explain how actin networks initiate and maintain directional movement

Role of tensile stress in actin gels and a symmetry-breaking instability

It has been observed experimentally that the actin gel grown from spherical beads coated with polymerization enzymes spontaneously breaks the symmetry of its spherical shape, and yields a “comet” pushing the bead forward. We propose a mechano-chemical coupling mechanism for the initialization of this symmetry breaking. Key assumptions are that the dissociation of the gel takes place mostly in the region of the external surface, and that the rates of the dissociation depend on the tensile stress in the gel. We analyze a simplified two-dimensional model with a circular substrate. Our analysis shows that the symmetric steady state is always unstable against the inhomogeneous modulation of the thickness of the gel layer, for any radius of the circular substrate. We argue that this model represents the essential feature of three-dimensional systems for a certain range of characteristic lengths of the modulation. The characteristic time of the symmetry-breaking process in our model depends linearly on the radius of curvature of the substrate surface, which is consistent with experimental results, using spherical latex beads as substrate. Our analysis of the symmetry-breaking phenomenon demonstrates aspects of mechano-chemical couplings that should be working in vivo as well as in vitro

Role of tensile stress in action gels and a symmetry-breaking instability

It has been observed experimentally that the actin gel grown from spherical beads coated with polymerization enzymes spontaneously breaks the symmetry of its spherical shape, and yields a “comet” pushing the bead forward. We propose a mechano-chemical coupling mechanism for the initialization of this symmetry breaking. Key assumptions are that the dissociation of the gel takes place mostly in the region of the external surface, and that the rates of the dissociation depend on the tensile stress in the gel. We analyze a simplified two-dimensional model with a circular substrate. Our analysis shows that the symmetric steady state is always unstable against the inhomogeneous modulation of the thickness of the gel layer, for any radius of the circular substrate. We argue that this model represents the essential feature of three-dimensional systems for a certain range of characteristic lengths of the modulation. The characteristic time of the symmetry-breaking process in our model depends linearly on the radius of curvature of the substrate surface, which is consistent with experimental results, using spherical latex beads as substrate. Our analysis of the symmetry-breaking phenomenon demonstrates aspects of mechano-chemical couplings that should be working in vivo as well as in vitro