Exploring time-dependent memory effects in matter with viscoelastic snap-through of strips.

Project Information

TiMe

Grant agreement ID: 101102728

DOI

10.3030/101102728

Project terminated on 31 January 2024

EC signature date 27 March 2023

Start date 1 May 2023

End date 30 April 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 191 760,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TiMe (Exploring time-dependent memory effects in matter with viscoelastic snap-through of strips.)

Reporting period: 2023-05-01 to 2025-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Disordered systems such as granular materials, glass melts or crumpled paper, exhibit many stunning behaviours. One of the hallmark of such complex system is "memory effects", behaviours in which the response of the system does not depend solely on the current excitation, but also on the past ones. In particular, many of such disordered systems feature complex relaxation processes, which result in time-dependent memory effects. Yet, due to the high disorder of memory forming systems, accessing the fundamental processes behind these phenomenon has remained elusive.
The main objective of this project is a new class of model systems, based on mechanical instabilities of viscoelastic structures, with emergent time-dependent memory effects. The experimental access provided by this system offers a new mean to deeply study the relation between the physics of the system and the macroscopic emerging memory.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the course of the project I have developped a model for a single elastic beam acting as a hysteron (based on energy methods), as well as the experimental counterpart.
I have also studied experimentally a 1D chain of elastic beams. We showed theoretically that the system can be considered as a finite state machine, capable of pattern recognition and realised experimentally such system.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Result 1 : Creation of a elastic hysteron with a single buckled beam laterally compressed. This description is a first step towards the design of new model systems. A scientific describing these resutls is currently in preparation.
Result 2 : realisation of a 1D chain of pre-buckled beam coupled in serie. We showed that their serial coupling results in antiferromagnetic interaction. We theoretically described the resulting transition graphs, and showed that they could be obtained experimentally. Finally we showed that such systems can be described as finite state machines, capable of computation. A scientific paper describing this work is in its last review phase. In future work, we will extend these ideas to more complex systems.