Computational modeling and simulation of rupture of membranes and thin films

Abstract

This paper presents a simple computational model for the rapid simulation of rupture on membranes and thin films. The proposed approach treats these surface structures as a collection of particles forming a discrete dynamical system, which is described by Newtonian equations in a purely mechanistic way. Detailed aspects about particle interactions are discussed and resolved. The main advantages of such an approach are that (1) it can offer a good picture of the dynamics of the rupture, yet resorting to only very simple descriptions of the underlying microstructure of the membrane or thin film, and (2) such different systems as structural fabrics, thin biological tissues and lipid membranes can be modeled under the same general framework. A time integration scheme is formulated for solution of the system dynamics, and examples of numerical simulations are provided. Computational particle-based models render reliable and fast simulation tools. We believe they can be very useful to study rupture phenomena on membranes and this films.