It is demonstrated that the removal of material or the creation or extension of cracks always reduces the total potential energy of any non-linear or linear stable elastic body under fixed load and displacement boundary conditions. A weaker statement that crack extension releases potential energy in excess of plastic dissipation is established for stable elastic-plastic bodies, with certain str...

In this work we present an inverse finite-element modeling framework for constitutive modeling and parameter estimation of soft tissues using full-field volumetric deformation data obtained from 3D ultrasound. The finite-element model is coupled to full-field visual measurements by regularization springs attached at nodal locations. The free ends of the springs are displaced according to the lo...

The oxygen and silicon dynamics in silica are compared via computer simulations. In agreement with experimental data and previous simulations a decoupling of oxygen and silicon dynamics is observed upon cooling. The origin of this decoupling is studied in the framework of the potential energy landscape. From analysis of the transition features between neighboring superstructures of minima, deno...

The displacement of the excess charge of the proton in acid solutions is caused by a structure migration of groupings H 5 0 2 + or H 9 0 4 + . The processes which take place during structure migration are discussed on the basis of results gained in IR-investigations. In an electrical field the structure migration is given a preferred direction. The hydrogen bond with the tunneling proton in H 5...

The ability of living systems to respond to stimuli and process information has encouraged scientists to develop integrated nanosystems displaying similar functions and capabilities. In this regard, biological pores have been a source of inspiration due to their exquisite control over the transport of ions within cells, a feature that ultimately plays a major role in multiple physiological proc...

We perform a systematic study of the characteristics of shear transformation zones (STZs) that nucleate at free surfaces of two-dimensional amorphous solids subject to tensile loading using two different atomistic simulation methods, the standard athermal, quasistatic (AQ) approach and our recently developed self-learning metabasin escape (SLME) method, to account for the finite temperature and...

The paper deals with the analysis of shear-flexible anisotropic plates subjected to arbitrary boundary conditions. In order to solve the pertinent boundary value problem, a Ritz-type technique has been developed which, however, ist not based on the standard principle of minimum potential energy but a modification thereof. In this variational theorem, the boundary conditions are satisfied a post...

The specific reaction parameter (SRP) approach to density functional theory (DFT) has enabled a chemically accurate description of reactive scattering experiments for activated H2-metal systems (H2 + Cu(111) and Cu(100)), but its application has not yet resulted in a similarly accurate description of non-activated or weakly activated H2-metal systems. In this study, the effect of the choice of ...

One of Einstein’s great innovations in relativity theory was to break with the idea that there is an exchange of kinetic and potential energy as an object changes its position in a gravitational field. Instead, he assumed that the unit of energy varies in a systematic manner that can be deduced from Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation and his own famous mass/energy equivalence relation. In th...

The high elastic modulus and interlayer strengths of graphite flakes make them a durable solid superlubricant. Apart from this, they have configurable electrical properties, exhibit quantum Hall effects, and possess a myriad of useful photonic properties. The self-retraction behavior of graphite flakes can have significant impact on the creation of ordered stacks for various applications becaus...