Prescribed pattern transformation in swelling gel tubes by elastic instability

TL;DR

This paper investigates how swelling gels develop controlled buckling patterns due to elastic instability, combining experiments, modeling, and simulations to understand the influence of geometric parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a simple elastic energy-based model to predict buckling patterns in swelling gels, highlighting the critical role of height-to-diameter ratio.

Findings

Buckling patterns can be fully controlled experimentally.

The height-to-diameter ratio determines buckling behavior.

Model predictions agree with experimental and numerical results.

Abstract

We present a study on swelling-induced circumferential buckling of tubular shaped gels. Inhomogeneous stress develops as gel swells under mechanical constraints, which gives rise to spontaneous buckling instability without external force. Full control over the post-buckling pattern is experimentally demonstrated. A simple analytical model is developed using elastic energy to predict stability and post-buckling patterns upon swelling. Analysis reveals that height to diameter ratio is the most critical design parameter to determine buckling pattern, which agrees well with experimental and numerical results.