A Novel Interaction Potential Law for Short-Range Forces Between Deformable Plane Beams

Core Concepts

The authors derive a novel section-section interaction potential law that accurately captures short-range interactions, such as van der Waals and steric forces, between deformable plane beams. The new law addresses the inaccuracies of the existing formulation by explicitly accounting for the offset between interacting cross-sectional planes.

Abstract

The paper focuses on the computational modeling of potential-based interactions between curved deformable fibers, which is a challenging and time-consuming task. The authors make the following key contributions:

They identify that the inconsistency of the existing section-section interaction potential law can be attributed to an offset between the cross-sectional planes of the interacting beams.

To address this issue, they derive a new improved section-section interaction potential law and prove that it provides accurate scaling for short-range interactions.

The implementation aspects of the new law are thoroughly investigated, and a formulation providing a good balance between accuracy and efficiency is proposed.

Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical findings and provide detailed insight into the interaction of deformable fibers due to the Lennard-Jones potential.

The paper first provides an overview of intermolecular interactions and the Bernoulli-Euler beam model used. It then derives the new section-section interaction potential law, verifies its accuracy, and discusses its variation and implementation. Finally, the developed formulation is applied to investigate the complex behavior observed during peeling and pull-off of elastic fibers.

Stats

The paper does not contain any explicit numerical data or statistics. The focus is on the derivation and verification of the new section-section interaction potential law.

Quotes

"The contribution of the paper is twofold: First, we are pointing out that, for planar beams, the inconsistency of the existing section-section interaction potential law [27] can be attributed to an offset between cross-sectional planes. To tackle this issue, we derive a new improved section-section interaction potential law and prove that it provides an accurate scaling for short-range interactions."
"Numerical experiments confirm our theoretical findings and give detailed insight into the interaction of deformable fibers due to the Lennard-Jones potential."

Key Insights Distilled From

A novel section-section potential for short-range interactions between plane beams

by A. B... at arxiv.org 04-09-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.04408.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can the proposed section-section interaction potential law be extended to capture long-range interactions, such as electrostatic and gravitational fields, in addition to short-range forces

To extend the proposed section-section interaction potential law to capture long-range interactions like electrostatic and gravitational fields, modifications need to be made to the formulation. For long-range interactions, the potential between two bodies is typically modeled as an inverse power law with an exponent less than or equal to 3. In the case of electrostatic interactions, the Coulomb potential can be used, which follows an inverse square law. Similarly, for gravitational interactions, Newton's law of universal gravitation can be employed, which also follows an inverse square law.
To incorporate these long-range interactions into the section-section potential law, the potential function needs to be adjusted to account for the specific form of the interaction forces. For example, for electrostatic interactions, the potential function would need to be modified to include the appropriate terms based on the Coulomb potential. Similarly, for gravitational interactions, the potential function would need to be adjusted to reflect the gravitational force between the bodies.
By adapting the section-section potential law to include the appropriate long-range interaction potentials, the formulation can be extended to accurately capture a wider range of interactions, from short-range forces like van der Waals interactions to long-range forces like electrostatic and gravitational interactions.

What are the potential limitations or challenges in applying the new formulation to more complex beam geometries, such as curved or twisted beams, and how could it be further generalized

The new formulation for section-section interaction potential, while effective for interactions between plane beams, may face limitations or challenges when applied to more complex beam geometries, such as curved or twisted beams. One potential limitation is the assumption of parallel interacting cross sections, which may not hold for beams with varying curvatures or orientations.
To address these challenges and extend the formulation to more complex beam geometries, several modifications and generalizations can be considered:

Incorporating Curvature Effects: The formulation can be adapted to account for the curvature of beams, allowing for interactions between non-parallel cross sections. This may involve introducing additional terms in the potential function to capture the effects of curvature on the interaction forces.
Generalizing to 3D Beams: The insights and approaches developed for plane beams can be extended to study interactions between spatial beams by considering the full 3D geometry of the beams. This would involve modifying the formulation to account for interactions in three dimensions, including variations in cross-sectional shapes and orientations.
Including Torsional Effects: For twisted beams, torsional effects need to be considered in the interaction potential formulation. This may require additional terms to capture the twisting behavior of the beams and its influence on the interaction forces.
Accounting for Nonlinear Deformations: When dealing with complex beam geometries, nonlinear deformations may play a significant role in the interaction behavior. The formulation can be generalized to include nonlinear effects, such as large deformations and material nonlinearity, to accurately model the interactions.

By addressing these limitations and challenges and further generalizing the formulation, it can be applied to a wider range of beam geometries, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis of interactions in complex structural configurations.

The paper focuses on the interaction between plane beams. How could the insights and approaches developed here be adapted to study the interactions between spatial beams or other types of slender structures, such as rods or shells

The insights and approaches developed for the interaction between plane beams can be adapted to study the interactions between spatial beams or other types of slender structures, such as rods or shells, by considering the specific characteristics and behaviors of these structures. Here are some ways to adapt the developed approaches:

Spatial Beams: For spatial beams, the formulation can be extended to account for interactions in three dimensions. This would involve considering the full 3D geometry of the beams, including variations in cross-sectional shapes, orientations, and curvatures. The section-section interaction potential law can be generalized to capture the spatial interactions between non-parallel cross sections in 3D space.

Rods: When studying interactions between rods, the formulation can be tailored to the specific characteristics of rod-like structures. This may involve simplifying the formulation to account for the one-dimensional nature of rods and the axial forces that dominate their behavior. The section-section potential law can be adapted to capture the interactions between rod segments along their length.

Shells: For interactions between shells, the formulation needs to consider the unique properties of shell structures, such as their curved geometry and membrane-like behavior. The section-section interaction potential law can be modified to account for the interactions between shell elements, taking into consideration the bending, stretching, and shearing effects that are characteristic of shell structures.

By adapting the insights and approaches developed for plane beams to spatial beams, rods, shells, and other slender structures, a comprehensive understanding of their interactions can be achieved, enabling the accurate modeling and analysis of complex structural systems.