Simulation of microelasticity of a two-dimensional fractal mass-spring network

Morgan, Brittany Rose

Student Work

Simulation of microelasticity of a two-dimensional fractal mass-spring network

Público

We have created a computer force simulation of a fractal collection of mass-springs in order to explore the microelasticity of an unbroken random gel. This work is motivated by the recent interest in the elastic properties of thixotropic gels formed by the silica particles of Aerosils. The focus is primarily on the effective spring constant, k, of the simulated Aerosil gel as a function of length-scale and particle density. This effective spring constant is determined by the proper summation of the individual spring constants that have been assigned to the simulated mass-spring fractal network. For large numbers of particles, k scales simply as the average of the individual spring constants. For moderate number of particles above the percolation threshold, the simulated behavior of k with respect to length-scale and particle density will be presented and the possibility of an observed rigidity transition will be discussed.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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