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Author ORCID Identifier
N/A
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Polymer Science and Engineering
Year Degree Awarded
2015
Month Degree Awarded
September
First Advisor
Gregory M. Grason
Second Advisor
Christian D. Santangelo
Third Advisor
Ryan C. Hayward
Fourth Advisor
Murugappan Muthukumar
Subject Categories
Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Abstract
In this dissertation I present a study of the geometry and energetics of bundles composed of flexible cohesive filaments. This is a general class of materials, both biological and artificial, existing across many length scales. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the interdependence between the 2D organization of filaments in a bundle’s cross section, and the 3D structure, with an emphasis on the twisting mode of deformation. First we present a model of filament contacts and interactions, which we employ in numerical simulations to study the connection between the ground state energies of constant-pitch bundles and their interior packing topology. We then focus on exterior features, and construct a continuum model of the surface energy and its twist-dependence. Finally, we employ a fully 3D model of filament bundles with a fixed packing topology to examine the connection between filament organization and the resulting 3D structures, be they twisting, writhing, bending, undulating, or other modes of deformation.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/7210687.0
Recommended Citation
Bruss, Isaac, "Geometry and Thermodynamics of Filament Bundles" (2015). Doctoral Dissertations. 433.
https://doi.org/10.7275/7210687.0
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/433