Nonlinear Poisson Effect Governed by a Mechanical Critical Transition

Under extensional strain, fiber networks can exhibit an anomalously large and nonlinear Poisson effect accompanied by a dramatic transverse contraction and volume reduction for applied strains as small as a few percent. We demonstrate that this phenomenon is controlled by a collective mechanical phase transition that occurs at a critical uniaxial strain that depends on network connectivity. This transition is punctuated by an anomalous peak in the apparent Poisson's ratio and other critical signatures such as diverging nonaffine strain fluctuations.