01778nas a2200157 4500008004100000245009800041210006900139300001400208490000700222520126400229100002201493700001801515700001901533700002201552856004601574 2019 eng d00aSwimming Euglena respond to confinement with a behavioural change enabling effective crawling0 aSwimming Euglena respond to confinement with a behavioural chang a496–5020 v153 aSome euglenids, a family of aquatic unicellular organisms, can develop highly concerted, large-amplitude peristaltic body deformations. This remarkable behaviour has been known for centuries. Yet, its function remains controversial, and is even viewed as a functionless ancestral vestige. Here, by examining swimming Euglena gracilis in environments of controlled crowding and geometry, we show that this behaviour is triggered by confinement. Under these conditions, it allows cells to switch from unviable flagellar swimming to a new and highly robust mode of fast crawling, which can deal with extreme geometric confinement and turn both frictional and hydraulic resistance into propulsive forces. To understand how a single cell can control such an adaptable and robust mode of locomotion, we developed a computational model of the motile apparatus of Euglena cells consisting of an active striated cell envelope. Our modelling shows that gait adaptability does not require specific mechanosensitive feedback but instead can be explained by the mechanical self-regulation of an elastic and extended motor system. Our study thus identifies a locomotory function and the operating principles of the adaptable peristaltic body deformation of Euglena cells.1 aNoselli, Giovanni1 aBeran, Alfred1 aArroyo, Marino1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0425-801712nas a2200229 4500008004100000022001400041245010200055210006900157300001200226490000800238520097600246653001601222653002001238653001601258653002201274100001601296700002701312700002701339700002201366700002201388856007201410 2018 eng d a0020-740300aSpontaneous morphing of equibiaxially pre-stretched elastic bilayers: The role of sample geometry0 aSpontaneous morphing of equibiaxially prestretched elastic bilay a481-4860 v1493 a

An elastic bilayer, consisting of an equibiaxially pre-stretched sheet bonded to a stress-free one, spontaneously morphs into curved shapes in the absence of external loads or constraints. Using experiments and numerical simulations, we explore the role of geometry for square and rectangular samples in determining the equilibrium shape of the system, for a fixed pre-stretch. We classify the observed shapes over a wide range of aspect ratios according to their curvatures and compare measured and computed values, which show good agreement. In particular, as the bilayer becomes thinner, a bifurcation of the principal curvatures occurs, which separates two scaling regimes for the energy of the system. We characterize the transition between these two regimes and show the peculiar features that distinguish square from rectangular samples. The results for our model bilayer system may help explaining morphing in more complex systems made of active materials.

10aBifurcation10aElastic bilayer10aPre-stretch10aShape programming1 aCaruso, Noe1 aCvetković, Aleksandar1 aLucantonio, Alessandro1 aNoselli, Giovanni1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002074031731176101538nas a2200157 4500008004100000022001400041245009300055210006900148260000800217300001400225490000700239520104800246100001801294700002201312856004601334 2017 eng d a1572-964800aStasis domains and slip surfaces in the locomotion of a bio-inspired two-segment crawler0 aStasis domains and slip surfaces in the locomotion of a bioinspi cFeb a587–6010 v523 a

We formulate and solve the locomotion problem for a bio-inspired crawler consisting of two active elastic segments (i.e., capable of changing their rest lengths), resting on three supports providing directional frictional interactions. The problem consists in finding the motion produced by a given, slow actuation history. By focusing on the tensions in the elastic segments, we show that the evolution laws for the system are entirely analogous to the flow rules of elasto-plasticity. In particular, sliding of the supports and hence motion cannot occur when the tensions are in the interior of certain convex regions (stasis domains), while support sliding (and hence motion) can only take place when the tensions are on the boundary of such regions (slip surfaces). We solve the locomotion problem explicitly in a few interesting examples. In particular, we show that, for a suitable range of the friction parameters, specific choices of the actuation strategy can lead to net displacements also in the direction of higher friction.

1 aGidoni, Paolo1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-016-0408-000647nas a2200157 4500008004100000245009600041210006900137260005800206300001400264490000600278100001700284700001700301700002200318700002400340856012500364 2016 eng d00aShip Sinkage and Trim Predictions Based on a CAD Interfaced Fully Nonlinear Potential Model0 aShip Sinkage and Trim Predictions Based on a CAD Interfaced Full bInternational Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers a511–5180 v31 aMola, Andrea1 aHeltai, Luca1 aDeSimone, Antonio1 aBerti, Massimiliano uhttps://math.sissa.it/publication/ship-sinkage-and-trim-predictions-based-cad-interfaced-fully-nonlinear-potential-model01791nas a2200133 4500008004100000245008400041210006900125300001300194490000800207520132400215100002601539700002201565856007001587 2015 eng d00aA study of snake-like locomotion through the analysis of a flexible robot model0 astudy of snakelike locomotion through the analysis of a flexible a201500540 v4713 a

We examine the problem of snake-like locomotion by studying a system consisting of a planar inextensible elastic rod with adjustable spontaneous curvature, which provides an internal actuation mechanism that mimics muscular action in a snake. Using a Cosserat model, we derive the equations of motion in two special cases: one in which the rod can only move along a prescribed curve, and one in which the rod is constrained to slide longitudinally without slipping laterally, but the path is not fixed a priori (free-path case). The second setting is inspired by undulatory locomotion of snakes on flat surfaces. The presence of constraints leads in both cases to non-standard boundary conditions that allow us to close and solve the equations of motion. The kinematics and dynamics of the system can be recovered from a one-dimensional equation, without any restrictive assumption on the followed trajectory or the actuation. We derive explicit formulae highlighting the role of spontaneous curvature in providing the driving force (and the steering, in the free-path case) needed for locomotion. We also provide analytical solutions for a special class of serpentine motions, which enable us to discuss the connection between observed trajectories, internal actuation and forces exchanged with the environment.

1 aCicconofri, Giancarlo1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspa.2015.005401649nas a2200121 4500008004100000245007500041210006900116260001300185520123700198100001901435700002201454856005101476 2014 en d00aShape control of active surfaces inspired by the movement of euglenids0 aShape control of active surfaces inspired by the movement of eug bElsevier3 aWe examine a novel mechanism for active surface morphing inspired by the cell body deformations of euglenids. Actuation is accomplished through in-plane simple shear along prescribed slip lines decorating the surface. Under general non-uniform actuation, such local deformation produces Gaussian curvature, and therefore leads to shape changes. Geometrically, a deformation that realizes the prescribed local shear is an isometric embedding. We explore the possibilities and limitations of this bio-inspired shape morphing mechanism, by first characterizing isometric embeddings under axisymmetry, understanding the limits of embeddability, and studying in detail the accessibility of surfaces of zero and constant curvature. Modeling mechanically the active surface as a non-Euclidean plate (NEP), we further examine the mechanism beyond the geometric singularities arising from embeddability, where mechanics and buckling play a decisive role. We also propose a non-axisymmetric actuation strategy to accomplish large amplitude bending and twisting motions of elongated cylindrical surfaces. Besides helping understand how euglenids delicately control their shape, our results may provide the background to engineer soft machines.1 aArroyo, Marino1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttp://urania.sissa.it/xmlui/handle/1963/3511800993nas a2200121 4500008004100000245006500041210006500106260003000171520058100201100001600782700002200798856005100820 2014 en d00aSpontaneous division and motility in active nematic droplets0 aSpontaneous division and motility in active nematic droplets bAmerican Physical Society3 aWe investigate the mechanics of an active droplet endowed with internal nematic order and surrounded by an isotropic Newtonian fluid. Using numerical simulations we demonstrate that, due to the interplay between the active stresses and the defective geometry of the nematic director, this system exhibits two of the fundamental functions of living cells: spontaneous division and motility, by means of self-generated hydrodynamic flows. These behaviors can be selectively activated by controlling a single physical parameter, namely, an active variant of the capillary number.1 aGiomi, Luca1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttp://urania.sissa.it/xmlui/handle/1963/3490201660nas a2200145 4500008004100000245010800041210006900149260001000218520115900228653003501387100001701422700001701439700002201456856003601478 2013 en d00aA stable and adaptive semi-Lagrangian potential model for unsteady and nonlinear ship-wave interactions0 astable and adaptive semiLagrangian potential model for unsteady  bSISSA3 a

We present an innovative numerical discretization of the equations of inviscid potential flow for the simulation of three dimensional unsteady and nonlinear water waves generated by a ship hull advancing in water. The equations of motion are written in a semi-Lagrangian framework, and the resulting integro-diff erential equations are discretized in space via an adaptive iso-parametric collocation Boundary Element Method, and in time via adaptive implicit Backward Di erentiation Formulas (BDF) with variable step and variable order. When the velocity of the advancing ship hull is non-negligible, the semi-Lagrangian formulation (also known as Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation, or ALE) of the free surface equations contains dominant transport terms which are stabilized with a Streamwise Upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) method. The SUPG stabilization allows automatic and robust adaptation of the spatial discretization with unstructured quadrilateral grids. Preliminary results are presented where we compare our numerical model with experimental results on the case of a Wigley hull advancing in calm water with fi xed sink and trim.

10aUnsteady ship-wave interaction1 aMola, Andrea1 aHeltai, Luca1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/566900514nas a2200109 4500008004100000245011900041210006900160100001700229700001700246700002200263856011900285 2012 eng d00aA stable semi-lagrangian potential method for the simulation of ship interaction with unsteady and nonlinear waves0 astable semilagrangian potential method for the simulation of shi1 aMola, Andrea1 aHeltai, Luca1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttps://math.sissa.it/publication/stable-semi-lagrangian-potential-method-simulation-ship-interaction-unsteady-and00893nas a2200109 4500008004300000245007600043210006900119520051500188100002200703700002200725856003600747 2009 en_Ud 00aStrain-order coupling in nematic elastomers: equilibrium configurations0 aStrainorder coupling in nematic elastomers equilibrium configura3 aWe consider models that describe liquid crystal elastomers either in a biaxial or in a uniaxial phase and in the framework of Frank\\\'s director theory. We prove existence of static equilibrium solutions in the presence of frustrations due to electro-mechanical boundary conditions and to applied loads and fields. We find explicit solutions arising in connection with special boundary conditions and the corresponding phase diagrams, leading to significant implications on possible experimental observations.1 aCesana, Pierluigi1 aDeSimone, Antonio uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/270000754nas a2200121 4500008004300000245007200043210006900115520035700184100002200541700001600563700001700579856003600596 2009 en_Ud 00aStratos: a code for 3D free surface flows with floating constraints0 aStratos a code for 3D free surface flows with floating constrain3 aThis report presents a brief discussion of the theoretical aspects and practical implementation of STRATOS . STRATOS is a 3D code for the simulation\\nof hydrodynamic flows for incompressible fluids, in the presence of a free surface, capable of simulating the interaction between the free surface and a\\nfloating object via Lagrange multipliers......1 aDeSimone, Antonio1 aBianchi, B.1 aHeltai, Luca uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/370100945nas a2200121 4500008004300000245006300043210006300106520056100169100002200730700001700752700001800769856003600787 2007 en_Ud 00aSoft elasticity and microstructure in smectic C elastomers0 aSoft elasticity and microstructure in smectic C elastomers3 aSmectic C elastomers are layered materials exhibiting a solid-like elastic response along the layer normal and a rubbery one in the plane. The set of strains minimizing the elastic energy contains a one-parameter family of simple stretches associated with an internal degree of freedom, coming from the in-plane component of the director. We investigate soft elasticity and the corresponding microstructure by determining the quasiconvex hull of the set , and use this to propose experimental tests that should make the predicted soft response observable.1 aDeSimone, Antonio1 aAdams, James1 aConti, Sergio uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/181101313nas a2200133 4500008004300000245008200043210006900125260001300194520087600207100001801083700002201101700002001123856003601143 2005 en_Ud 00aSelf-similar folding patterns and energy scaling in compressed elastic sheets0 aSelfsimilar folding patterns and energy scaling in compressed el bElsevier3 aThin elastic sheets under isotropic compression, such as for example blisters formed by thin films which debonded from the substrate, can exhibit remarkably complex folding patterns. We discuss the scaling of the elastic energy with respect to the film thickness, and show that in certain regimes the optimal energy scaling can be reached\\nby self-similar folding patterns that refine towards the boundary, in agreement with experimental observations. We then extend the analysis\\nto anisotropic compression, and discuss a simplified scalar model which suggests the presence of a transition between a regime where\\nthe deformation is governed by global properties of the domain and another one where the direction of maximal compression dominates and the scale of the folds is mainly determined by the distance to the boundary in the direction of the folds themselves.1 aConti, Sergio1 aDeSimone, Antonio1 aMüller, Stefan uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/300001246nas a2200109 4500008004300000245010500043210006900148520083800217100002201055700002301077856003601100 2005 en_Ud 00aStress-dilatancy based modelling of granular materials and extensions to soils with crushable grains0 aStressdilatancy based modelling of granular materials and extens3 aStress-dilatancy relations have played a crucial role in the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of soils and in the development of realistic constitutive models for their response. Recent investigations on the mechanical behaviour of materials with crushable grains have called into question the validity of classical relations such as those used in critical state soil mechanics.\\nIn this paper, a method to construct thermodynamically consistent (isotropic, three-invariant) elasto-plastic models based on a given stress-dilatancy relation is discussed. Extensions to cover the case of granular materials with crushable grains are also presented, based on the interpretation of some classical model parameters (e.g. the stress ratio at critical state) as internal variables that evolve according to suitable hardening laws.1 aDeSimone, Antonio1 aTamagnini, Claudio uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/2165