An official website of the United States government
Abstract Quartz deformation fabrics reflect stress and strain conditions in mylonites, and their interpretation has become a mainstay of kinematic and structural analysis. Quantification of grain size and shape and interpretation of textures reflecting deformation mechanisms can provide estimates of flow stress, strain rate, kinematic vorticity, and deformation temperatures. Empirical calibration and determination of quartz flow laws is based on laboratory experiments of pure samples; however, pure quartzite mylonites are relatively uncommon. In particular, phyllosilicates may localize and partition strain that can inhibit or enhance different deformation mechanisms. Experimental results demonstrate that even minor phyllosilicate content (<15 vol%) can dramatically alter the strain behavior of quartz; however, few field studies have demonstrated these effects in a natural setting. To investigate the role of phyllosilicates on quartz strain fabrics, we quantify phyllosilicate content and distribution in quartzite mylonites from the Miocene Raft River detachment shear zone (NW Utah, USA). We use microstructural analysis and electron backscatter diffraction to quantify quartz deformation fabrics and muscovite spatial distribution, and X-ray computed tomography to quantify muscovite content in samples with varying amounts of muscovite collected across the detachment shear zone. Phyllosilicate content has a direct control on quartz deformation mechanisms, and application of piezometers and flow laws based on quartz deformation fabrics yield strain rates and flow stresses that vary by up to two orders of magnitude across our samples. These findings have important implications for the application of flow laws in quartzite mylonites and strain localization mechanisms in mid-crustal shear zones.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on March 26, 2026
Poroelasticity and permeability of fibrous polymer networks under compression
Fibrous biopolymer gels under compression lose volume by the flow of water through pores. Fluid flow and network deformation in the gel are non-uniform. A model accounting for buckling of fibers captures the observed deformation and flow patterns.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2212162
- PAR ID:
- 10630811
- Publisher / Repository:
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Soft Matter
- Volume:
- 21
- Issue:
- 13
- ISSN:
- 1744-683X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2400 to 2412
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract A flow vessel with an elastic wall can deform significantly due to viscous fluid flow within it, even at vanishing Reynolds number (no fluid inertia). Deformation leads to an enhancement of throughput due to the change in cross‐sectional area. The latter gives rise to a non‐constant pressure gradient in the flow‐wise direction and, hence, to a nonlinear flow rate–pressure drop relation (unlike the Hagen–Poiseuille law for a rigid tube). Many biofluids are non‐Newtonian, and are well approximated by generalized Newtonian (say, power‐law) rheological models. Consequently, we analyze the problem of steady low Reynolds number flow of a generalized Newtonian fluid through a slender elastic tube by coupling fluid lubrication theory to a structural problem posed in terms of Donnell shell theory. A perturbative approach (in the slenderness parameter) yields analytical solutions for both the flow and the deformation. Using matched asymptotics, we obtain a uniformly valid solution for the tube's radial displacement, which features both a boundary layer and a corner layer caused by localized bending near the clamped ends. In doing so, we obtain a “generalized Hagen–Poiseuille law” for soft microtubes. We benchmark the mathematical predictions against three‐dimensional two‐way coupled direct numerical simulations (DNS) of flow and deformation performed using the commercial computational engineering platform by ANSYS. The simulations show good agreement and establish the range of validity of the theory. Finally, we discuss the implications of the theory on the problem of the flow‐induced deformation of a blood vessel, which is featured in some textbooks.more » « less
-
The deformation of elementary fluid volumes by velocity gradients is a key process for scalar mixing, chemical reactions and biological processes in flows. Whilst fluid deformation in unsteady, turbulent flow has gained much attention over the past half-century, deformation in steady random flows with complex structure – such as flow through heterogeneous porous media – has received significantly less attention. In contrast to turbulent flow, the steady nature of these flows constrains fluid deformation to be anisotropic with respect to the fluid velocity, with significant implications for e.g. longitudinal and transverse mixing and dispersion. In this study we derive an ab initio coupled continuous-time random walk (CTRW) model of fluid deformation in random steady three-dimensional flow that is based upon a streamline coordinate transform which renders the velocity gradient and fluid deformation tensors upper triangular. We apply this coupled CTRW model to several model flows and find that these exhibit a remarkably simple deformation structure in the streamline coordinate frame, facilitating solution of the stochastic deformation tensor components. These results show that the evolution of longitudinal and transverse fluid deformation for chaotic flows is governed by both the Lyapunov exponent and power-law exponent of the velocity probability distribution function at small velocities, whereas algebraic deformation in non-chaotic flows arises from the intermittency of shear events following similar dynamics as that for steady two-dimensional flow.more » « less
-
Low-inertia pulsatile flows in highly distensible viscoelastic vessels exist in many biological and engineering systems. However, many existing works focus on inertial pulsatile flows in vessels with small deformations. As such, here we study the dynamics of a viscoelastic tube at large deformation conveying low-Reynolds-number oscillatory flow using a fully coupled fluid–structure interaction computational model. We focus on a detailed study of the effect of wall (solid) viscosity and oscillation frequency on tube deformation, flow rate, phase shift and hysteresis, as well as the underlying flow physics. We find that the general behaviour is dominated by an elastic flow surge during inflation and a squeezing effect during deflation. When increasing the oscillation frequency, the maximum inlet flow rate increases and tube distention decreases, whereas increasing solid viscosity causes both to decrease. As the oscillation frequency approaches either$$0$$(quasi-steady inflation cycle) or$$\infty$$(steady flow), the behaviours of tubes with different solid viscosities converge. Our results suggest that deformation and flow rate are most affected in the intermediate range of solid viscosity and oscillation frequency. Phase shifts of deformation and flow rate with respect to the imposed pressure are analysed. We predict that the phase shifts vary throughout the oscillation; while the deformation always lags the imposed pressure, the flow rate may either lead or lag depending on the parameter values. As such, the flow rate shows hysteresis behaviour that traces either a clockwise or counterclockwise curve, or a mix of both, in the pressure–flow rate space. This directional change in hysteresis is fully characterised here in the appropriate parameter space. Furthermore, the hysteresis direction is shown to be predicted by the signs of the flow rate phase shifts at the crest and trough of the oscillation. A distinct change in the tube dynamics is also observed at high solid viscosity which leads to global or ‘whole-tube’ motion that is absent in purely elastic tubes.more » « less
-
Aerobreakup of drops is a fundamental two-phase flow problem that is essential to many spray applications. A parametric numerical study was performed by varying the gas stream velocity, focusing on the regime of moderate Weber numbers, in which the drop deforms to a forward bag. When the bag is unstable, it inflates and disintegrates into small droplets. Detailed numerical simulations were conducted using the volume-of-fluid method on an adaptive octree mesh to investigate the aerobreakup dynamics. Grid-refinement studies show that converged three-dimensional simulation results for drop deformation and bag formation are achieved by the refinement level equivalent to 512 cells across the initial drop diameter. To resolve the thin liquid sheet when the bag inflates, the mesh is refined further to 2048 cells across the initial drop diameter. The simulation results for the drop length and radius were validated against previous experiments, and good agreement was achieved. The high-resolution results of drop morphological evolution were used to identify the different phases in the aerobreakup process, and to characterize the distinct flow features and dominant mechanisms in each phase. In the early time, the drop deformation and velocity are independent of the Weber number, and a new internal-flow deformation model, which respects this asymptotic limit, has been developed. The pressure and velocity fields around the drop were shown to better understand the internal flow and interfacial instability that dictate the drop deformation. Finally, the impact of drop deformation on the drop dynamics was discussed.more » « less
