Publications related to Twist and Stretch of Helices Explained via the Kirchhoff-Love Rod Model of Elastic Filaments

Bottlebrush Dielectric Elastomers with Improved Properties for Actuation

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) are elastic capacitors composed of a pair of compliant electrodes and a soft dielectric elastomer film sandwiched in between. This kind of stretchable capacitors can be actuated when charged, can generate electricity fr ...

EPFL2023

Tailor-made Piezoelectric Elastomer Materials

Francis Owusu

Recent advancements in miniature devices with higher computational capabilities and ultralow power consumption have accelerated the development of wearable sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters everywhere. The ultimate aim of such a technological revol ...

EPFL2023

Shear strength and shear stiffness analysis of compacted Wyoming-type bentonite

Alessio Ferrari

Wyoming-type bentonite is one of the materials to be used as part of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) in deep geological disposal facilities for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel.In the KBS-3 type repository, the canisters containing the spent fue ...

ELSEVIER2023

Experimental investigation on the moment-rotation performance of pultruded FRP web-flange junctions

Thomas Keller

This paper aims to present an experimental investigation on the behavior of web-flange junctions (WFJs) rotational stiffness of pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRP). Channels and I-sections were tested using a simple set-up, which was develo ...

ELSEVIER SCI LTD2021

An interlocking approach for the rebar-to-concrete contact in bond

Aurelio Muttoni, Miguel Fernández Ruiz, Max Tirassa

The bond response of deformed bars in structural concrete is a phenomenon governed, to a large extent, by the rib-to-concrete contact and interaction, with contact forces depending on both material properties and the kinematics between the contact surfaces ...

ICE PUBLISHING2021

Dynamic study of contact damping in martensitic stainless steels using nano-indentation

Philippe Spätig, Hans-Peter Seifert

The study was undertaken to gain insight into the micro-mechanisms controlling plasticity at the micrometer scale of elastic-plastic metallic alloys. Dynamic nano-indentation tests, where a small harmonic force amplitude is superimposed during loading, ref ...

ELSEVIER2020

Investigations and numerical modeling of mechanical properties of tempered martensitic steel Eurofer97 at various loading rates, temperatures and after spallation irradiation

Serafin Knitel

The reduced activation tempered martensitic steel Eurofer97 is a reference steel for a structural applica-tions in fusion reactors. The first-wall and blanket materials will be subjected to high thermal and neutron fluxes and will experience very complex, ...

EPFL2018

On the mechanical characteristics of a self-setting calcium phosphate cement

John Botsis, Dimitrios Karalekas, Luis Pablo Canal Casado, Alexios Bimis

Objective: To perform a mechanical characterization of a self-setting calcium phosphate cement in function of the immersion time in Ringer solution. Materials and methods: Specimens of self-setting calcium phosphate cement were prepared from pure alpha-TCP ...

Elsevier2017

Structural performance of permanent post-tensioned CFRP ground anchors with strap ends

Haifeng Fan

Permanent post-tensioned ground anchors are widely used for the stabilization of different structures in civil engineering. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendons have been proposed to replace steel tendons in ground anchors to solve the durability ...

EPFL2017

Kinetically Trapped Liquid-State Conformers of a Sodiated Model Peptide Observed in the Gas Phase

Thomas Rizzo, Chiara Masellis, Markus Schneider, Carsten Baldauf

We investigate the peptide AcPheAla(5)Lyar(+), a model system for studying helix formation in the gas phase, in order to fully understand the forces that stabilize the helical structure. In particular, we address the question of whether the local fixation ...

2017

Stresses and displacements in steel-lined pressure tunnels and shafts in anisotropic rock under quasi-static internal water pressure

Anton Schleiss, Alexandre Jean Pachoud

Steel-lined pressure tunnels and shafts are constructed to convey water from reservoirs to hydroelectric power plants. They are multilayer structures made of a steel liner, a cracked backfill concrete layer, a cracked or loosened near-field rock zone and a ...

Springer Wien2016

Elemento de Viga Baseado em Formulação de Rigidez Enriquecido com Funções de Forma Adaptativas para Garantir Equilíbrio Axial

Katrin Beyer, João Saraiva Esteves Pacheco de Almeida, Danilo Tarquini

In the framework of Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE), assessing the inelastic behaviour of structures both at the global (force-displacement) and local (stress-strain) level is of priority importance. This goal is typically achieved by advan ...

2016

Miniaturized Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for Mechanical Stimulation of Monolayer Cell Cultures

Alexandre Poulin

This thesis advances the field of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) through the development of device designs, fabrication processes, strain characterization technique and modelling tool. It provides the first demonstration that DEAs can be interfaced ...

EPFL2016

Constitutive analysis of shale: a coupled damage plasticity approach

Lyesse Laloui, Francesco Parisio

Shales have become increasingly important because they play key roles in modern energy and environmental geomechanics applications, such as nuclear waste storage, non-conventional oil and gas operations and CO2 geological storage. Shale behaves in a quasi- ...

Elsevier2015

Shape-Persistent, Thermoresponsive Polypeptide Brushes Prepared by Vapor Deposition Surface-Initiated Ring-Opening Polymerization of alpha-Amino Acid N-Carboxyanhydrides

Harm-Anton Klok, Solenne Desseaux

Surface-grafting thermoresponsive polymers allows the preparation of thin polymer brush coatings with surface properties that can be manipulated by variation of temperature. In most instances, thermoresponsive polymer brushes are produced using polymers th ...

American Chemical Society2015

Multiphysical Modelling of Soils with a Focus on Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation

In recent years, the complexity of geomechanical problems has greatly increased as a result of the demand for new and intricate types of applications. Experimental characterization and numerical prediction by means of multiphysical approaches are in that c ...

EPFL2012

A multi-scale multi-physics model of soil drying

Lyesse Laloui, Hervé Péron

Drying shrinkage is modeled at a microscale as a two-stage process of deformation and evacuation of a two-tube vessel system, based on porosimetry evolution. In the first stage water flow is driven by an external evaporation flux. Flow is associated with a ...

ASCE2011

Biomechanics of Vascular Wall : the Role of Structural Organization of Elastin and Collagen

Rana Saitta-Rezakhaniha

This thesis contributes to the field of biomechanics of vascular wall. The focus is particularly on the microstructure of vascular elastin and collagen constituents and their contribution to the macroscopic mechanical behavior of the wall. The analysis is ...

EPFL2010

A 1D elastic plastic damage constitutive law for bone tissue

Alain Curnier, Daniel Garcia

Motivated by applications in orthopaedic and maxillo-facial surgery, the mechanical behaviour of cortical bone in cyclic overloads at physiological strain rates is investigated. To this end, a new one-dimensional rate-independent constitutive model for com ...

2010

Constitutive modelling of unsaturated soils with hydro-geomechanical couplings

Mathieu Nuth

Even though the saturation in water of most natural and engineered soils is partial, constitutive models in geotechnical engineering have long made the assumption of complete saturation. The increasing knowledge of the rheological behaviour of unsaturated ...

EPFL2009