Citation

Warren PB, Ball RC, Goldstein RE. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2018; 120(15): e158001.

Affiliation

Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Physical Society)

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.158001

PMID

29756870

Abstract

The problem of how staple yarns transmit tension is addressed within abstract models in which the Amontons-Coulomb friction laws yield a linear programing (LP) problem for the tensions in the fiber elements. We find there is a percolation transition such that above the percolation threshold the transmitted tension is in principle unbounded. We determine that the mean slack in the LP constraints is a suitable order parameter to characterize this supercritical state. We argue the mechanism is generic, and in practical terms, it corresponds to a switch from a ductile to a brittle failure mode accompanied by a significant increase in mechanical strength.

Language: en