We created a model physical system to investigate the role of blade rigidity in setting forces and rates of mass exchange for a blade exposed to unsteady flow in a vortex street. Using a combination of experimental and theoretical investigations, we find that, broadly, both the forces and the mass exchange are higher for more flexible blades. Below a critical value of the dimensionless blade ri...

This paper studies a solid film lying on a liquid layer, which in turn lies on a solid substrate. It is well known that, subject to a compressive membrane force, the solid film wrinkles, dragging the liquid underneath to flow. When the solid film is very thin, the ratio between the number of atoms at the surface and that in the bulk becomes significant, so that surface stress contributes to the...

An analysis is given for the mechanical characteristics of multilayer elastomeric isolation bearings where the reinforcing elements-normally steel plates-are replaced by a fiber reinforcement. The fiber-reinforced isolator, in contrast to the steel-reinforced isolator (which is assumed to be rigid both in extension and flexure), is assumed to be flexible in extension, but completely without fle...

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are exposed to a transient and strong liquid jet flow created by a pair of differently sized laser-induced cavitation bubbles. The position and size of the bubbles are controlled with a spatial light modulator within a 15 microm thick liquid gap. Depending on the tube's position with respect to this jet flow, rotation, translation, and a bending deformation ...

[1] Four specially designed surveys parallel to the Kermadec trench allow localized estimates of plate strength within the subducting Pacific plate to be made. The transfer function between topography and gravity is estimated for five trench-parallel ship tracks at distances of 25–110 km from the trench axis. We find a clear reduction in the magnitude and peak wavelength of the transfer functio...

Microtubules (MTs) are dynamic cytoskeletal elements involved in numerous cellular processes. Although they are highly rigid polymers with a persistence length of 1-8 mm, they may exhibit a curved shape at a scale of few micrometers within cells, depending on their biological functions. However, how MT flexural rigidity in cells is regulated remains poorly understood. Here we ask whether MT-ass...

Highly anisotropic microtubules (MTs) immersed in cytosol are a central part of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells. The dynamic behaviors of an MT-cytosol system are of major interest in biomechanics community. Such a solid-fluid system is characterized by a Reynolds number of the order 10(-3) and a slip ionic layer formed at the MT-cytosol interface. In view of these unique features, an orth...

The ability to determine static and (hydro)dynamic properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is crucial for many applications. While their static properties (e.g., solubility and wettability) are fairly well understood, their mechanical responses (e.g., deflection under shear) to ambient fluid flow are to a large extent unknown. We analyze the elastic response of single-walled CNT forests, attached...

Early cleavages of Xenopus embryos were oriented in strong, static magnetic fields. Third-cleavage planes, normally horizontal, were seen to orient to a vertical plane parallel with a vertical magnetic field. Second cleavages, normally vertical, could also be oriented by applying a horizontal magnetic field. We argue that these changes in cleavage-furrow geometries result from changes in the or...