Strain stiffening elastomers with swelling inclusions.

ABSTRACT: Inhomogeneously swollen elastomers are an emergent class of materials, comprising elastic matrices with inclusion phases in the form of microgel particles or osmolytes. Inclusion phases can undergo osmotically driven swelling and deswelling over orders of magnitude. In the swollen state, the inclusions typically have negligible Young's modulus, and the matrix is strongly deformed. In that regime, the effective mechanical properties of the composite are governed by the matrix. Laying the groundwork for a generic analysis of inhomogeneously swollen elastomers, we develop a model based on incremental mean-field homogenization of a hyperelastic matrix. The framework allows for the computation of the macroscopic effective stiffness for arbitrary hyperelastic matrix materials. For an in-depth qu

SUBMITTER: Heyden S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10266128 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature