Eric Puntel

University of Udine | UNIUD · Polytechnic Department of Engineering and Architecture

In a recent paper Abeyaratne et al. (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 167:104958, 2022) concerning the stability of surface growth of a pre-stressed elastic half-space with surface tension, it was shown that steady growth is never stable, at least not for all wave numbers of the perturbations, when the growing surface is traction-free. On the other hand, stea...

A simple, transparent, two-dimensional, nonlinear model of cell reorientation is constructed in this paper. The cells are attached to a substrate by “focal adhesions” that transmit the deformation of the substrate to the “stress fibers” in the cell. When the substrate is subjected to a deformation, say an in-plane bi-axial deformation with stretche...

The vulnerability assessment of existing masonry buildings is a largely investigated research topic with some aspects still to be faced. In historic towns, masonry buildings are aggregated and together confined, and their final appearance is derived from interventions and additions during their lives in different times and with different masonry te...

Motivated by experiments on dendritic actin networks exhibiting surface growth, we address the problem of the stability of this growth process. We choose as a simple, reference geometry a biaxially stressed half-space growing at its boundary. The actin network is modeled as a neo-Hookean material. A kinetic relation between growth velocity and a st...

Water tanks are elements of strategic infrastructure in the context of major earthquakes and must be assessed to determine their conditions. A reliable collection of experimental data is particularly important before any assessment procedure. This research theme has been deeply investigated for buildings; however, relatively less data is available...

Actin growth is a fundamental biophysical process and it is, at the same time, a prototypical example of diffusion-mediated surface growth. We formulate a coupled chemo-mechanical, one-dimensional growth model encompassing both material accretion and ablation. A solid bar composed of bound actin monomers is fixed at one end and connected to an elas...

Actin growth is a fundamental biophysical process and it is, at the same time, a prototypical example of diffusion-mediated surface growth. We consider a one dimensional growth model for actin: a rod-like element composed of actin monomers is fixed at one end and connected to an elastic device at the other. The mechanical behaviour of the rod, the...

Actin growth is a fundamental biophysical process and it is, at the same time, a prototypical example of diffusion-mediated surface growth. We formulate a coupled chemo-mechanical, one-dimensional growth model encompassing both material accretion and ablation. A solid bar composed of bound actin monomers is fixed at one end and connected to an elas...

Gels are widely employed in smart mechanical devices and biomedical applications. Swelling-induced bending actuation can be obtained by means of a simple bilayer gel beam. We show that this system can also exhibit wrinkling patterns of potential interest for structural morphing and sensing. We study swelling-induced wrinkling at the extrados of a b...

We investigate the swelling dynamics driven by solvent absorption in a hydrogel sphere immersed in a solvent bath, through an accurate computational model and numerical study. We extensively describe the transient process from dry to wet and discuss the onset of surface instabilities through a measure of the lack of smoothness of the outer surface...

A classical problem in structural mechanics is the evaluation of beam stretching and curvature in slender bilayered beams, due to mechanical actions, thermal distortions, differential growth, and more recently, to swelling. We investigate the non-monotonic changes in the curvature of swollen bilayer beams due to mismatches in physical properties of...

We investigate the swelling–induced bending of a gel bilayer beam with homogeneous beam–like components, when the beam is embedded in a solvent bath of assigned chemical potential. We set the problem within the limits of finite elasticity with large distortions, with these latter determined via chemical equilibrium, by the elastic modulus of the ge...

A thin sheet clamped at opposite ends and stretched develops wrinkles parallel to the direction of the applied tensile strain due to the hindered Poisson lateral contraction at the clamps. To study this phenomenon, a variational model recently proposed by Puntel. Deseri and Fried is adopted. The relevant energy functional includes bending and membr...

When a thin rectangular sheet is clamped along two opposing edges and stretched, its inability to accommodate the Poisson contraction near the clamps may lead to the formation of wrinkles with crests and troughs parallel to the axis of stretch. A variational model for this phenomenon is proposed. The relevant energy functional includes bending and...

Seismic hazard maps that account for site amplification (soil seismic hazard maps) are very useful because they represent the expected ground motion at the Earth's surface, but need much more information and elaboration than the usual rock hazard maps. The regional soil hazard map has been developed for the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in northeas...

A rather straightforward derivation of the Γ-limit of the torsion problem as the thickness goes to zero is obtained for generic thin walled beams. The limit stresses are evaluated and the distributional nature of one of the stress components is clarified.

A large scale test on concrete joints subjected to constant compressive confinement and reverse cyclic shear load is performed. Shear strength, dilatancy degradation, and overall response are reported. A description of roughness as composed by two orders of asperities with different sizes is used to analyze the results and prompts the extension of...

A rather straightforward derivation of the Γ-limit of the torsion problem on a thin rectangle as the thickness goes to zero is obtained. The limit stresses are evaluated and the distributional nature of one of the stress components is clarified.

A generalized interface model for joints and cracks in quasi-brittle materials is formulated. The proposed model marries an existing fracture mechanics based one developed for monotonic loading of concrete with another frictional based model developed for the cyclic response of rock joints to address the (reverse) cyclic response of rough surfaces...

This communication summarises the results of a comprehensive investigation aimed at improving the understanding of the cyclic behaviour of concrete dam joints, covering both experimental and numerical aspects. In the laboratory work, a jointed concrete block is subjected to reversed cyclic slip at imposed normal stress. The specimen is intended to...

Prediction of critical state and loading carrying capacity of structures is the fundamental issue in engineering practice. Critical states are often governed by formation and growth of cracks.