Force distributions and force chains in random stiff fiber networks

We study the elasticity of random stiff fiber networks. The elastic response of the fibers is characterized by a central force stretching stiffness as well as a bending stiffness that acts transverse to the fiber contour. Previous studies have shown that this model displays an anomalous elastic regime where the stretching mode is fully frozen out and the elastic energy is completely dominated by the bending mode. We demonstrate by simulations and scaling arguments that, in contrast to the bending dominated \emph{elastic energy}, the equally important \emph{elastic forces} are to a large extent stretching dominated. By characterizing these forces on microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic scales we find two mechanisms of how forces are transmitted in the network. While forces smaller than a threshold $F_c$ are effectively balanced by a homogeneous background medium, forces larger than $F_c$ are found to be heterogeneously distributed throughout the sample, giving rise to highly localized force-chains known from granular media.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, final version as publishe

Floppy modes and non-affine deformations in random fiber networks

We study the elasticity of random fiber networks. Starting from a microscopic picture of the non-affine deformation fields we calculate the macroscopic elastic moduli both in a scaling theory and a self-consistent effective medium theory. By relating non-affinity to the low-energy excitations of the network (``floppy-modes'') we achieve a detailed characterization of the non-affine deformations present in fibrous networks.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, new figure

Mechanics of bundled semiflexible polymer networks

While actin bundles are used by living cells for structural fortification, the microscopic origin of the elasticity of bundled networks is not understood. Here, we show that above a critical concentration of the actin binding protein fascin, a solution of actin filaments organizes into a pure network of bundles. While the elasticity of weakly crosslinked networks is dominated by the affine deformation of tubes, the network of bundles can be fully understood in terms of non-affine bending undulations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, final version as publishe

Rheology and dynamical heterogeneity in frictionless beads at jamming density

We investigate the rheological properties of an assembly of inelastic (but frictionless) particles close to the jamming density using numerical simulation, in which uniform steady states with a constant shear rate $\dot\gamma$ is realized. The system behaves as a power-law fluid and the relevant exponents are estimated; e.g., the shear stress is proportional to $\dot\gamma^{1/\delta_S}$, where $1/\delta_S=0.64(2)$. It is also found that the relaxation time $\tau$ and the correlation length $\xi$ of the velocity increase obeying power laws: $\tau\sim\dot\gamma^{-\beta}$ and $\xi\sim\dot\gamma^{-\alpha}$, where $\beta=0.27(3)$ and $\alpha=0.23(3)$

Semiflexible Filamentous Composites

Inspired by the ubiquity of composite filamentous networks in nature we investigate models of biopolymer networks that consist of interconnected floppy and stiff filaments. Numerical simulations carried out in three dimensions allow us to explore the microscopic partitioning of stresses and strains between the stiff and floppy fractions c_s and c_f, and reveal a non-trivial relationship between the mechanical behavior and the relative fraction of stiff polymer: when there are few stiff polymers, non-percolated stiff ``inclusions`` are protected from large deformations by an encompassing floppy matrix, while at higher fractions of stiff material the stiff network is independently percolated and dominates the mechanical response.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett, to appear (4 pages, 2 figures

Size-dependent rheology of type-I collagen networks

We investigate the system size dependent rheological response of branched type I collagen gels. When subjected to a shear strain, the highly interconnected mesh dynamically reorients, resulting in overall stiffening of the network. When a continuous shear strain is applied to a collagen network, we observe that the local apparent modulus, in the strain-stiffening regime, is strongly dependent on the gel thickness. In addition, we demonstrate that the overall network failure is determined by the ratio of the gel thickness to the mesh size. These findings have broad implications for cell-matrix interactions, the interpretation of rheological tissue data, and the engineering of biomimetic scaffolds.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Biophysical Journal Letters, September 201

Statics and Dynamics of the Wormlike Bundle Model

Bundles of filamentous polymers are primary structural components of a broad range of cytoskeletal structures, and their mechanical properties play key roles in cellular functions ranging from locomotion to mechanotransduction and fertilization. We give a detailed derivation of a wormlike bundle model as a generic description for the statics and dynamics of polymer bundles consisting of semiflexible polymers interconnected by crosslinking agents. The elastic degrees of freedom include bending as well as twist deformations of the filaments and shear deformation of the crosslinks. We show that a competition between the elastic properties of the filaments and those of the crosslinks leads to renormalized effective bend and twist rigidities that become mode-number dependent. The strength and character of this dependence is found to vary with bundle architecture, such as the arrangement of filaments in the cross section and pretwist. We discuss two paradigmatic cases of bundle architecture, a uniform arrangement of filaments as found in F-actin bundles and a shell-like architecture as characteristic for microtubules. Each architecture is found to have its own universal ratio of maximal to minimal bending rigidity, independent of the specific type of crosslink induced filament coupling; our predictions are in reasonable agreement with available experimental data for microtubules. Moreover, we analyze the predictions of the wormlike bundle model for experimental observables such as the tangent-tangent correlation function and dynamic response and correlation functions. Finally, we analyze the effect of pretwist (helicity) on the mechanical properties of bundles. We predict that microtubules with different number of protofilaments should have distinct variations in their effective bending rigidity

Probing Internal Stress and Crystallinity in Wet Foam via Raman Spectroscopy

In this article, we correlate the internal stress and the characteristics of a vibrational mode in wet foam. Using microscope images, we estimate the average size of the bubbles in wet foam, at specific time intervals, over a duration of twenty four hours. Raman spectra are also recorded at the same time intervals, over the same time frame. We show that the internal stress, originated from the macroscopic structural change of foam with ageing, can be related to the observed Raman shift of the low frequency methylene rocking mode of the constituent surfactant molecules in foam. In this report we also show the capability of the Raman spectroscopy to reveal the crystallinity in foamy materials, when studied for a longer period of time.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Nonaffine rubber elasticity for stiff polymer networks

We present a theory for the elasticity of cross-linked stiff polymer networks. Stiff polymers, unlike their flexible counterparts, are highly anisotropic elastic objects. Similar to mechanical beams stiff polymers easily deform in bending, while they are much stiffer with respect to tensile forces (``stretching''). Unlike in previous approaches, where network elasticity is derived from the stretching mode, our theory properly accounts for the soft bending response. A self-consistent effective medium approach is used to calculate the macroscopic elastic moduli starting from a microscopic characterization of the deformation field in terms of ``floppy modes'' -- low-energy bending excitations that retain a high degree of non-affinity. The length-scale characterizing the emergent non-affinity is given by the ``fiber length'' $l_f$, defined as the scale over which the polymers remain straight. The calculated scaling properties for the shear modulus are in excellent agreement with the results of recent simulations obtained in two-dimensional model networks. Furthermore, our theory can be applied to rationalize bulk rheological data in reconstituted actin networks.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, revised Section II