Prescribing patterns in growing tubular soft matter by initial residual stress

TL;DR

This paper investigates how initial residual stress influences pattern formation in growing soft tubular structures, demonstrating experimental effects and modeling mechanisms to control pattern selection in bio-tissues and soft matter.

Contribution

It introduces the role of initial residual stress in pattern selection during growth, combining experimental observations with modeling to enhance control strategies.

Findings

Initial residual stress significantly affects growth patterns.

Modeling shows residual stress influences buckling and pattern formation.

Prescribing residual stress can guide pattern control in bio-tissues.

Abstract

Initial residual stress is omnipresent in biological tissues and soft matter, and can affect growth-induced pattern selection significantly. Here we demonstrate this effect experimentally by letting soft tubes grow in the presence or absence of initial residual stress and by observing different growth pattern evolutions. These experiments motivate us to model the mechanisms at play when a growing bilayer tubular organ spontaneously displays buckling patterns on its inner surface. We demonstrate that not only differential growth, geometry and elasticity, but also initial residual stress distribution, exert a notable influence on these pattern phenomena. Prescribing an initial residual stress distribution offers an alternative or a more effective way to implement pattern selection for growable bio-tissues or soft matter. The results also show promise for the design of 4D bio-mimic printing protocols or for controlling hydrogel actuators.