Shape-morphing of metastructures empowering locomotion

When materials are subjected to forces that surpass their yield strength, they undergo a process known as plastic deformation. This results in a permanent alteration or strain in their structure. This concept can be specifically applied to circular shafts, where the deformation leads to a change in its shape. The precise evaluation of this plastic deformation requires understanding the stress distribution within the circular shaft, which is achieved by calculating the maximum shearing stress in...

Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...

One of the distinctive characteristics of circular shafts is their ability to maintain their cross-sectional integrity under torsion. In other words, each cross-section continues to exist as a flat, unaltered entity, simply rotating like a solid, rigid slab. To understand the distribution of shearing stress within such a shaft, consider a cylindrical section inside this circular shaft. This section has a length of L and a radius of R, with one end fixed. The radius of the cylindrical section is...

When a rod is made of different materials or has various cross-sections, it must be divided into parts that meet the necessary conditions for determining the deformation. These parts are each characterized by their internal force, cross-sectional area, length, and modulus of elasticity. These parameters are then used to compute the deformation of the entire rod.
In the case of a member with a variable cross-section, the strain is not constant but depends on the position. The deformation of an...

When a material is subjected to uniaxial stress, it elongates or contracts in the direction of the applied force, and also undergoes changes in the perpendicular directions. This behavior is crucial for understanding how materials behave under stress and is governed by mechanical properties such as Poisson's ratio v, which measures the ratio of transverse strain to axial strain.
As the material stretches, it expands or contracts in orthogonal directions to the load. This phenomenon varies...

Understanding the movement of a rigid body in planar motion involves recognizing that every particle within this body is traversing a path that maintains a consistent distance from a specific plane. This concept is fundamental in the study of physics and mechanical engineering, and it allows us to comprehend better how objects move in space.
Planar motion is typically divided into three distinct categories. The first is rectilinear translation, demonstrated by a subway train that moves along...