Buckling of sheared and compressed microfibrils.

Area of Science:

• Solid mechanics
• Materials science
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Elastic fibrils are fundamental structural components in various biological and engineered systems.
• Understanding the mechanical stability of fibrils under combined loading is crucial for predicting their behavior and failure modes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the buckling stability of an elastic fibril subjected to normal compressive force and shear displacement.
• To analyze the influence of end adhesion on the fibril's buckling load.

Main Methods:

• Analytical modeling of a clamped elastic fibril under combined normal and shear loads.
• Calculation of the critical buckling load.

Main Results:

• The buckling load of a sheared fibril is consistently lower than the Euler buckling load.
• Loss of end adhesion can substantially reduce the buckling load.
• Static friction in microfibre arrays may decrease with increased normal load, potentially leading to negative friction forces.

Conclusions:

• Shear forces significantly destabilize elastic fibrils, reducing their load-bearing capacity.
• Fibril adhesion plays a critical role in mechanical stability.
• The findings have implications for understanding friction in microscale systems and designing robust fibrillar structures.