Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the buckling properties of [100]-, [110]-, [111]-, and [112]-oriented single-crystalline germanium nanowires under uniaxial compression. The effects of simulation temperature, strain rate, and wire length on the buckling behaviour are investigated. The simulation results indicate that critical load clearly decreases with increasing tem...

When stretched uniaxially, a thin elastic sheet may exhibit buckling. The occurrence of buckling depends on the geometrical properties of the sheet and the magnitude of the applied strain. Here we show that an elastomeric sheet initially stable under uniaxial stretching can destabilize when exposed to a solvent that swells the elastomer. We demonstrate experimentally and computationally that th...

We report on variable-angle deuterium NMR measurements of nematic liquid-crystalline side-chain polymers, where we have found proof of the existence of a biaxial nematic phase in a system with a side-on attachment of the mesogenic group to the polymer backbone. This provides efficient coupling to the polymer backbone and thus stabilizes the as yet elusive biaxial phase. The experimental approac...

A molecular-statistical theory for the entire sequence of the chiral tilted smectic phases is derived. Uniaxial and biaxial subphases were found to be stable in different temperature ranges depending on the molecular parameters. The model of a chiral molecule possessing a strong transverse terminal dipole moment and a quadrupole moment located in the molecular core was used. Direct dispersion a...

The exoelectric e ect provides a linear coupling between electric polarization and orientational deformation in liquid crystals. It in uences many electrooptical phenomena and it is used in some bistable nematic devices. A statistical theory of dipole exoelectric polarization in biaxial nematic liquid crystals is used to calculate temperature dependence of order parameters, elastic constants, a...

We revisit the classic problem of the structure of the isotropic-nematic interface within Ginzburg-Landau-de Gennes theory, refining previous analytic treatments of biaxiality at the interface. We compare our analysis with numerical results obtained through a highly accurate spectral collocation scheme for the solution of the Landau-Ginzburg-de Gennes equations. In comparison to earlier work, w...

The problem of a thin spherical linearly-elastic shell, perfectly bonded to an infinite linearly-elastic medium is considered. A constant axisymmetric stress field is applied at infinity in the matrix, and the displacement and stress fields in the shell and matrix are evaluated by means of harmonic potential functions. In order to examine the stability of this solution, the buckling problem of ...

The objective of the present study is to describe the results of research that has been conducted on the buckling behavior of rectangular laminated orthotropic plates that have a rectangular hole. As a result of using some geometrical holes which cause stress concentrations on laminated orthotropic plates, the analysis about the buckling coefficient of the elements become very important. This w...