We present a study on swelling-induced circumferential buckling of tubular shaped gels. Inhomogeneous stress develops as the gel swells under mechanical constraints, which gives rise to spontaneous buckling instability without an external force. Full control over the postbuckling pattern is experimentally demonstrated. A simple analytical model is developed using elastic energy to predict stabi...

Buckling of slender structures under compressive loading is a failure of infinitesimal stability due to a confluence of two factors: the energy density non-convexity and the smallness of Korn’s constant. The problem has been well understood only for bodies with simple geometries when the slenderness parameter is well defined. In this paper we present the first rigorous analysis of buckling for ...

Compressively-stressed elastic films on finite-thickness viscous substrates can undergo a buckling instability that relieves stresses but destroys the planarity of the film. A linear-stability analysis is performed to determine the onset and maximally unstable mode of this buckling instability as a function of misfit strain, viscous layer thickness, and viscosity. We find that the onset of the ...

We investigate short wavelength buckling of a thin elastic rod embedded in an elastic gelatin biopolymer network. Using a combination of micro-mechanical testing, microscopic imaging, as well as theory, we show that the buckling penetration depth can be tuned by varying the mechanical properties of the rod and the rod–gel interface. Prior models have predicted a decay length that is dependent o...

Although buckling instabilities in elastic solids have been known for a long time, high interest in this phenomenon is relatively recent. The current and prospective applications in flexible electronics, materials with tunable surface properties (adhesion and wettability), responsive photonic and phononic structures, and reinforced nanocomposites led to a surge in the interest in buckling insta...

This paper presents the elastic buckling of homogeneous beams with a pair of piezoelectric layers surface bonded on both sides of the beams. The displacement field of beam is assumed based on the Engesser-Timoshenko beam theory. Applying the Hamilton's principle, the equilibrium equation is established. The influences of applied voltage, dimensionless geometrical parameter and piezoelectric thi...

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 study the nonlinear deformations of a long rectangular elastic plate clamped along its edges and submitted to in-plane biaxial compression. Using the Föppl–von Kármán equations, we predict various secondary buckling modes according to the applied longitudinal and transverse compressions. A model experiment is carried out in a thin polycarbonate film, and the observed buckling patterns are fo...

Time-dependent buckling phenomena of polysilicon micro beams have been demonstrated and reported. These beams are suspended 2 mm above the silicon substrate with dimensions of 100 mm (length) × 2 mm (width) × 2 mm (thickness). When a constant input current is supplied at or above a threshold value, electro-thermally induced buckling occurs. It is observed and recorded that the beams exhibit tim...

We utilize elastic deformations via mechanical actuation to control and direct fluid flow within a flexible microfluidic device. The device consists of a microchannel with a flexible arch prepared by the buckling of a thin elastic film. The deflection of the arch can be predicted and controlled using the classical theory of Euler buckling. The fluid flow rate is then controlled by coupling the ...