Work

Graph-theoretical description and continuity problems for stress propagation through complex strut lattices

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Interconnected networks of rigid struts are critical for the design of lightweight, load-bearing structures. However, modeling stress distribution in them is difficult due to complex organizational patterns and collective effects. Leveraging visualization of local elastic deformations by birefringence imaging, we investigate how graph theory (GT) provides a framework for stress prediction. We investigate the role that geometric features play in the collective mechanical behavior of anisotropic networks, which also addresses the fundamental problem of applying discrete mathematics to physical structures. We show that modified centrality parameters combining lattice topology with structural metrics describing geometry more accurately predict local stress, as validated through finite element modeling. Further improvements are made by incorporating boundary conditions into the centrality definition, in a manner that simultaneously simplifies the computational cost demonstrating capabilities of GT for predictions of mechanical properties that can be extended to various types of complex soft matter.

Source: npj Soft Matter

DOI: 10.1038/s44431-025-00004-7

Authors: Marcos A. Reyes-Martinez, Alain Kadar, Steven Dunne, Sharon C. Glotzer, Christopher L. Soles, Nicholas A. Kotov

Institutions: National Institute of Standards and Technology, University of Michigan, Center for Complex Particle Systems

Language: English

Topic: Complex Network Analysis Techniques

Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,590

Funder: National Science Foundation