32 research outputs found
Enhancement of electrostrictive polymer efficiency for energy harvesting with cellular polypropylene electrets
The purpose of this paper is to propose new means for harvesting energy using electrostrictive polymers. The recent development of electrostrictive polymers has generated new opportunities for high-strain actuators. At the current time, the investigation of using electrostrictive polymer for energy harvesting, or mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion, is beginning to show its potential for this application. The objective of this work was to study the effect of cellular polypropylene electrets after high-voltage corona poling on an electrostrictive polyurethane composite filled with 1 vol.% carbon black at a low applied voltage in order to increase the efficiency of the electromechanical conversion with electrostrictive polymers. Theoretical analysis supported by experimental investigations showed that an energy harvesting with this structure rendered it possible to obtain harvested power up to 13.93 nW using a low electric field of 0.4 V/mu m and a transverse strain of 3% at a mechanical frequency of 15 Hz. This represents an efficiency of 78.14% at low frequency. This percentage is very significant compared to other structures. Finally, it was found that the use of polypropylene electrets with electrostrictive polymers was the best way to decrease the power of polarization in order to obtain a good efficiency of the electromechanical conversion for energy harvesting
Imprinting the memory into paste and its visualization as crack patterns in drying process
In the drying process of paste, we can imprint into the paste the order how
it should be broken in the future. That is, if we vibrate the paste before it
is dried, it remembers the direction of the initial external vibration, and the
morphology of resultant crack patterns is determined solely by the memory of
the direction. The morphological phase diagram of crack patterns and the
rheological measurement of the paste show that this memory effect is induced by
the plasticity of paste.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to JPS
Oscillating Fracture in Rubber
We have found an oscillating instability of fast-running cracks in thin
rubber sheets. A well-defined transition from straight to oscillating cracks
occurs as the amount of biaxial strain increases. Measurements of the amplitude
and wavelength of the oscillation near the onset of this instability indicate
that the instability is a Hopf bifurcation
Rifts in Spreading Wax Layers
We report experimental results on the rift formation between two freezing wax
plates. The plates were pulled apart with constant velocity, while floating on
the melt, in a way akin to the tectonic plates of the earth's crust. At slow
spreading rates, a rift, initially perpendicular to the spreading direction,
was found to be stable, while above a critical spreading rate a "spiky" rift
with fracture zones almost parallel to the spreading direction developed. At
yet higher spreading rates a second transition from the spiky rift to a zig-zag
pattern occurred. In this regime the rift can be characterized by a single
angle which was found to be dependent on the spreading rate. We show that the
oblique spreading angles agree with a simple geometrical model. The coarsening
of the zig-zag pattern over time and the three-dimensional structure of the
solidified crust are also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, Postscript fil
Development and geometry of isotropic and directional shrinkage crack patterns
We have studied shrinkage crack patterns which form when a thin layer of an
alumina/water slurry dries. Both isotropic and directional drying were studied.
The dynamics of the pattern formation process and the geometric properties of
the isotropic crack patterns are similar to what is expected from recent
models, assuming weak disorder. There is some evidence for a gradual increase
in disorder as the drying layer become thinner, but no sudden transition, in
contrast to what has been seen in previous experiments. The morphology of the
crack patterns is influenced by drying gradients and front propagation effects,
with sharp gradients having a strong orienting and ordering effect.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures, 8 in jpg format, 3 in postscript. See also
http://mobydick.physics.utoronto.ca/mud.htm
Fracture driven by a Thermal Gradient
Motivated by recent experiments by Yuse and Sano (Nature, 362, 329 (1993)),
we propose a discrete model of linear springs for studying fracture in thin and
elastically isotropic brittle films. The method enables us to draw a map of the
stresses in the material. Cracks generated by the model, imposing a moving
thermal gradient in the material, can branch or wiggle depending on the driving
parameters. The results may be used to compare with other recent theoretical
work, or to design future experiments.Comment: RevTeX file (9 pages) and 5 postscript figure
Spiral cracks in drying precipitates
We investigate the formation of spiral crack patterns during the desiccation
of thin layers of precipitates in contact with a substrate. This
symmetry-breaking fracturing mode is found to arise naturally not from torsion
forces, but from a propagating stress front induced by the fold-up of the
fragments. We model their formation mechanism using a coarse-grain model for
fragmentation and successfully reproduce the spiral cracks. Fittings of
experimental and simulation data show that the spirals are logarithmic,
corresponding to constant deviation from a circular crack path. Theoretical
aspects of the logarithmic spirals are discussed. In particular we show that
this occurs generally when the crack speed is proportional to the propagating
speed of stress front.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, RevTe
Fracture Patterns Induced by Desiccation in a Thin Layer
We study a theoretical model of mud cracks, that is, the fracture patterns
resulting from the contraction with drying in a thin layer of a mixture of
granules and water. In this model, we consider the slip on the bottom of this
layer and the relaxation of the elastic field that represents deformation of
the layer. Analysis of the one-dimensional model gives results for the crack
size that are consistent with experiments. We propose an analytical method of
estimation for the growth velocity of a simple straight crack to explain the
very slow propagation observed in actual experiments. Numerical simulations
reveal the dependence of qualitative nature of the formation of crack patterns
on material properties.Comment: 37 pages,18 figures,REVTEX,submitted to Rhys.Rev.
Theory of dynamic crack branching in brittle materials
The problem of dynamic symmetric branching of an initial single brittle crack
propagating at a given speed under plane loading conditions is studied within a
continuum mechanics approach. Griffith's energy criterion and the principle of
local symmetry are used to determine the cracks paths. The bifurcation is
predicted at a given critical speed and at a specific branching angle: both
correlated very well with experiments. The curvature of the subsequent branches
is also studied: the sign of , with being the non singular stress at the
initial crack tip, separates branches paths that diverge from or converge to
the initial path, a feature that may be tested in future experiments. The model
rests on a scenario of crack branching with some reasonable assumptions based
on general considerations and in exact dynamic results for anti-plane
branching. It is argued that it is possible to use a static analysis of the
crack bifurcation for plane loading as a good approximation to the dynamical
case. The results are interesting since they explain within a continuum
mechanics approach the main features of the branching instabilities of fast
cracks in brittle materials, i.e. critical speeds, branching angle and the
geometry of subsequent branches paths.Comment: 41 pages, 15 figures. Accepted to International Journal of Fractur
Energy radiation of moving cracks
The energy radiated by moving cracks in a discrete background is analyzed.
The energy flow through a given surface is expressed in terms of a generalized
Poynting vector. The velocity of the crack is determined by the radiation by
the crack tip. The radiation becomes more isotropic as the crack velocity
approaches the instability threshold.Comment: 7 pages, embedded figure