From disorder to order: Shear rheology of macroscopically structured materials

Summary

In the pursuit to utilize materials for a range of practical applications, from innovative mechanical metamaterials to novel food products, understanding their response to deformation is crucial. In this thesis, we delve into the deformation behaviour of materials with different ordering level at the macroscopic scale under direct shear.

We investigated macroscopic models for disordered materials, including crumpled materials and entangled filaments, as well as their ordered counterparts, origami and oriented fibres in meat and meat analogues. The results provide valuable insights into the behaviours of their structural components when subjected to deformations, therefore unveiling new possibilities for controlling the interplay between stress-bearing elements.

The insights gained from our studies can potentially contribute to the development of new materials and structures with tunable mechanical properties for various applications, as well as inform our understanding of the fundamental principles that govern the behaviour of different systems under stress.