Increase In Shear Modulus Research Articles

Field experiment and numerical study on active vibration isolation by horizontal blocks in layered ground under vertical loading

In this paper, a series of field experiments were carried out to investigate the active vibration isolation for a surface foundation using horizontal wave impedance block (WIB) in a multilayered ground under vertical excitations. The velocity amplitude of ground vibration was measured and the root-mean-square (RMS) velocity is used to evaluate the vibration mitigation effect of the WIB. The influences of the size, the embedded depth and the shear modulus of the WIB on the vibration mitigation were also systematically examined under different loading conditions. The experimental results convincingly indicate that WIB is effective to reduce the ground vibration, especially at high excitation frequencies. The vibration mitigation effect of the WIB would be improved when its size and shear modulus increase or the embedded depth decreases. The results also showed that the WIB may amplify rather than reduce the ground vibration when its shear modulus is smaller or the embedded depth is larger than a threshold value. Meanwhile, an improved 3D semi-analytical boundary element method (BEM) combined with a thin layer method (TLM) was proposed to account for the rectangular shape of the used WIB and the laminated characteristics of the actual ground condition in analyzing the vibration mitigation of machine foundations. Comparisons between the field experiments and the numerical analyses were also made to validate the proposed BEM.

The effect of locally delivered recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 with hydroxyapatite/tri-calcium phosphate on the biomechanical properties of bone in diabetes-related osteoporosis.

BackgroundRecombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is particularly effective in improving osteogenesis in patients with diminished bone healing capabilities, such as individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) who have impaired bone healing capabilities and increased risk of developing osteoporosis. This study measured the effects of rhBMP-2 treatment on osteogenesis by observing the dose-dependent effect of localized delivery of rhBMP-2 on biomechanical parameters of bone using a hydroxyapatite/tri-calcium phosphate (HA/TCP) carrier in a T1DM-related osteoporosis animal model.Materials and methodsTwo different doses of rhBMP-2 (LD low dose, HD high dose) with a HA/TCP carrier were injected into the femoral intramedullary canal of rats with T1DM-related osteoporosis. Two more diabetic rat groups were injected with saline alone and with HA/TCP carrier alone. Radiographs and micro-computed tomography were utilized for qualitative assessment of bone mineral density (BMD). Biomechanical testing occurred at 4- and 8-week time points; parameters tested included torque to failure, torsional rigidity, shear stress, and shear modulus.ResultsAt the 4-week time point, the LD and HD groups both exhibited significantly higher BMD than controls; at the 8-week time point, the HD group exhibited significantly higher BMD than controls. Biomechanical testing revealed dose-dependent, higher trends in all parameters tested at the 4- and 8-week time points, with minimal significant differences.ConclusionsGroups treated with rhBMP-2 demonstrated improved bone mineral density at both 4 and 8 weeks compared to control saline groups, in addition to strong trends towards improvement of intrinsic and extrinsic biomechanical properties when compared to control groups. Data revealed trends toward dose-dependent increases in peak torque, torsional rigidity, shear stress, and shear modulus 4 weeks after rhBMP-2 treatment.Level of evidenceNot applicable.

The effect of enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection on the cell mechanics of host cells.

Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is a type of human pathogenic bacteria. The main virulence characteristics of EHEC include the formation of attaching and effacing lesions (A/E lesions) and the production of one or more Shiga-like toxins, which may induce human uremic complications. When EHEC infects host cells, it releases translocated intimin receptor (Tir) and effector proteins inside the host cells, inducing the rearrangement and accumulation of the F-actin cytoskeleton, a phenotype leading to the formation of pedestals in the apical cell surface, and the growth of stress fibers at the base of the cells. To examine the effect of EHEC infection on cell mechanics, we carried out a series of experiments to examine HeLa cells with and without EHEC infection to quantify the changes in (1) focal adhesion area, visualized by anti-vinculin staining; (2) the distribution and orientation of stress fibers; and (3) the intracellular viscoelasticity, via directional video particle tracking microrheology. Our results indicated that in EHEC-infected HeLa cells, the focal adhesion area increased and the actin stress fibers became thicker and more aligned. The cytoskeletal reorganization induced by EHEC infection mediated a dramatic increase in the cytoplasmic elastic shear modulus of the infected cells, and a transition in the viscoelastic behavior of the cells from viscous-like to elastic-like. These changes in mechanobiological characteristics might modulate the attachments between EHEC and the host cell to withstand exfoliation, and between the host cell and the extracellular matrix, and might also alter epithelial integrity.

Quantitative evaluation of atrial radio frequency ablation using intracardiac shear-wave elastography.

Radio frequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is a well-established clinical procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) but suffers from a low single-procedure success rate. Recurrence of AF is most likely attributable to discontinuous or nontransmural ablation lesions. Yet, despite this urgent clinical need, there is no clinically available imaging modality that can reliably map the lesion transmural extent in real time. In this study, the authors demonstrated the feasibility of shear-wave elastography (SWE) to map quantitatively the stiffness of RFCA-induced thermal lesions in cardiac tissues in vitro and in vivo using an intracardiac transducer array. SWE was first validated in ex vivo porcine ventricular samples (N = 5). Both B-mode imaging and SWE were performed on normal cardiac tissue before and after RFCA. Areas of the lesions were determined by tissue color change with gross pathology and compared against the SWE stiffness maps. SWE was then performed in vivo in three sheep (N = 3). First, the stiffness of normal atrial tissues was assessed quantitatively as well as its variation during the cardiac cycle. SWE was then performed in atrial tissue after RFCA. A large increase in stiffness was observed in ablated ex vivo regions (average shear modulus across samples in normal tissue: 22 ± 5 kPa, average shear-wave speed (ct): 4.5 ± 0.4 m s(-1) and in determined ablated zones: 99 ± 17 kPa, average ct: 9.0 ± 0.5 m s(-1) for a mean shear modulus increase ratio of 4.5 ± 0.9). In vivo, a threefold increase of the shear modulus was measured in the ablated regions, and the lesion extension was clearly visible on the stiffness maps. By its quantitative and real-time capabilities, Intracardiac SWE is a promising intraoperative imaging technique for the evaluation of thermal ablation during RFCA.

Carbon nanotube epoxy nanocomposites: the effects of interfacial modifications on the dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites.

Surface functionalization of pretreated carbon nanotubes (CNT) using aromatic, aliphatic, and aliphatic ether diamines was performed. The pretreatment of the CNT consisted of either acid- or photo-oxidation. The acid treated CNT had a higher initial oxygen content compared to the photo-oxidized CNT and this resulted in a higher density of functionalization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to verify the presence of the oxygenated and amine moieties on the CNT surfaces. Epoxy/0.1 wt % CNT nanocomposites were prepared using the functionalized CNT and the bulk properties of the nanocomposites were examined. Macroscale correlations between the interfacial modification and bulk dynamic mechanical and thermal properties were observed. The amine modified epoxy/CNT nanocomposites exhibited up to a 1.9-fold improvement in storage modulus (G') below the glass transition (Tg) and up to an almost 4-fold increase above the Tg. They also exhibited a 3-10 °C increase in the glass transition temperature. The aromatic diamine surface modified epoxy/CNT nanocomposites resulted in the largest increase in shear moduli below and above the Tg and the largest increase in the Tg. Surface examination of the nanocomposites with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed indications of a greater adhesion of the epoxy resin matrix to the CNT, most likely due to the covalent bonding.

Therapeutic disruption of Plasmodium vivax infected red cell deformability

Background Chloroquine (CQ) and artesunate (AS) are widely used as blood schizontocides in P. vivax treatment. Recent clinical observations show late stage parasites are cleared more rapidly than expected post treatment. As the high deformability of P. vivax facilitates its escaping from the splenic clearance, we hypothesize that CQ and AS directly affect the P. vivax infected red blood cells (iRBCs) rigidity. As a consequence, parasites are rapidly cleared from the blood circulation. Materials and methods P. vivax isolates from Thailand were pulse incubated with AS, CQ and a spiroindolone (NITD609). Morphological changes and rosetting frequency were assessed by sub vital staining. The micropipette aspiration technique was the used to quantify the cell membrane shear modulus. Microfluidics were used to study the in vitro iRBCs behaviour after drug treatment. Results While CQ and AS did not directly affect iRBC shear modulus, it significantly enhanced rosetting frequency and consequently the rigidity of rosetted iRBCs (the attachment of a single red cell results in a significant increase in shear modulus of the iRBC). NITD609 directly affected the iRBC rigidity. Am icrofluidic model of the spleen shows that P. vivax iRBCs with a higher rigidity are removed from flow. This study also show that normocytes that rosette with P. vivax iRBCs; form strong attachments (~500pN) that withstand a range of physiological shear stresses. Conclusions In addition to providing new and important baseline biomechanical data on P. vivax rosettes; this ex vivo study also provides a possible explanation for the clinically observed disappearance of P. vivax parasites soon after treatment.

Dynamic behavior of reinforced clayey sand under cyclic loading

Experimental investigations and modeling of linear elasticity of fiber-reinforced clayey sand under cyclic loading unloading are conducted in this paper. Experimental studies are focused on four aspects. First, a series of cyclic triaxial tests, with different confining pressures and deviator stress ratios up to 150 cycles, are performed. Impacts of fiber content, cell pressure, deviator stress ratio and loading unloading repetition that affect dynamic behavior of the composite material are discussed. It is shown that shear modulus decreases with increasing deviator stress ratio at high confining pressure and the rate of loss of shear modulus found to be much lower for fiber reinforced specimens. Other results show that increase of shear modulus with loading repetition is more pronounced at higher deviator stress ratios. Second, the optimum fiber content is experimented under cyclic loading unloading and is expressed as a power function of deviatoric stress ratio. It is shown that optimum fiber content is not constant and it is affected by deviator stress ratio. Third, a function is introduced to describe the linear stress–strain curve under cyclic loading unloading using equivalent linear analysis. The shear modulus G is expressed as a function of fiber content, confining pressure, deviatoric stress ratio and loading repetition. Finally constitutive coefficients of the model parameters are calibrated by the results of cyclic triaxial shear tests and using the linear regression.

Resonant Frequency Change of Torsional Oscillator Induced by Solid 4He in Torsion Rod

The contribution of solid 4He contained in the torsion rod of a torsional oscillator to its resonant frequency is investigated using a modified torsional oscillator. The purpose of the present study is to discriminate between two possible contributions to the resonant frequency of the torsional oscillator, which abruptly increases below ∼0.2 K. The first possible contribution is the elastic property change of solid 4He in the torsion rod (i.e., shear modulus increase), and the second possible contribution is mass decoupling by the supersolid transition of solid 4He in the oscillating body (i.e., a decrease in the momentum inertia). A torsional oscillator that has no hollow space for solid 4He in the body was constructed, and its resonant frequency and Q-factor were compared to those of the conventional oscillator. The shear modulus contributions of solid 4He in the torsion rod were identical, but the momentum inertias of solid 4He in the oscillating body were quite different between the two oscillators. S...

Upper limit of supersolidity in solid helium

The resonant period drop observed at low temperatures in torsional oscillators containing solid helium had been interpreted as a signature of a supersolid. However, it was found that the shear modulus increase found in solid helium at the same low temperature could also decrease the resonant period of the torsional oscillator. We report the results of a study in two different torsional oscillators that were specially designed to minimize the shear modulus effect and maximize any possible supersolid response. We were able to place an upper limit on the nonclassical rotational inertia or supersolid fraction of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$. Moreover, we have repeated an earlier experiment on the hcp $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ solid, which shows similar low-temperature stiffening to that in hcp $^{4}\mathrm{He}$. We found that the small drop of the resonant period measured in the hcp $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ sample is comparable in size to that found in the hcp $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ samples. These results strongly suggest that the resonant period drop reported in most torsional oscillator studies in the last decade is primarily a consequence of the shear modulus stiffening effect.

Broadband laboratory measurements of dispersion in thermally cracked and fluid-saturated quartzite and a synthetic analogue

In the field, the seismic waves used for active-source imaging typically contain frequencies from 10 to about 100 Hz, with corresponding wavelengths of tens of meters. This contrasts greatly with the ultrasonic (∼ 1-MHz) wave-speed measurements carried out in the laboratory, with millimeter wavelengths. The purpose of the laboratory measurements is, of course, to provide insight into seismic wave speeds in situ. However, with the presence of a pore fluid, velocity measurements are sensitive to the frequency at which velocity data are collected. A study focuses on such fluid-flow-related dispersion by performing a broadband measurement in the laboratory from millihertz (mHz) to megahertz (MHz) frequencies on a natural quartzite and on a synthetic sintered glass-bead sample. Thermal cracks that have small aspect ratios of about 10−4 to 10−3 were introduced in both samples, which are of low porosities (1% to 2%) even after thermal cracking. A seismic-frequency forced-oscillation method is combined with a high-frequency ultrasonic technique, providing access to a wide frequency range. Under water-saturated conditions, the observed seismic wave speeds display substantial variations between seismic and ultrasonic frequencies in the cracked quartzite. A systematic increase in shear modulus, attributed to the suppression of fluid flow, has been monitored on the cracked glass-bead specimen with both argon and water saturation at ultrasonic frequency.

A Gold-Based Bulk-Solidifying Amorphous Alloy for Jewelry — Comparison with a Palladium-Based Amorphous Alloy

The gold alloys are used in jewelry for their aesthetic appearance and inertia to the environment. In jewelry a hardness superior to 300 HV is desirable to facilitate the final machining and reduce the wear of the final product. The maximum hardness that can be obtained with the standard 18 carats gold (Au75-Ag12.5-Cu12.5 (wt%)) through a combination of heat treatment and cold working is about 290 HV. Gold-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are an alternative as they present unique properties in comparison with crystalline counterparts, especially easy thermoplastic processing combined with a high hardness. Pd-base BMGs are another solution, due also to their attractive features.An Au49Cu26.9Si16.3Ag5.5Pd2.3 (% at.) and a Pd40Cu30Ni10P20 (% at.) bulk metallic glasses were fabricated by a copper mould suction casting technique in an argon atmosphere. In the as-cast state hardness, shear modulus and hardness are high (HV0.3= 360 and 530 in the Au-and Pd-base BMGs, respectively). Various heat treatments have been performed to modify the microstructural state. Formation of crystalline particles induces an increase of both shear modulus and hardness but a drastic decrease in toughness and therefore this formation should be absolutely avoided during casting or thermo processing.

Correlation of Elongational Fluid Properties to Fiber Diameter in Electrospinning of Softwood Kraft Lignin Solutions

Viscoelastic properties of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions of softwood kraft lignin (SKL) containing small amounts of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were investigated. Of interest is the relationship between viscoelastic properties of the spinning solutions and their corresponding electrospinning behavior. Although it is well established that fiber diameter is critical in determining the material properties of nanofibers, lignin solutions have been observed to display poor electrospinnability in many instances. Thus, the motivation behind this work was to understand and exert control over the relevant fluid properties that control the fiber diameter of SKL/PEO fibers, The results of dynamic shear and capillary breakup extensional rheometry (CaBER) experiments indicated that SKL solutions were weakly elastic in shear and Newtonian in elongational flow. SKL solutions were not electrospinnable at concentrations of 25–45 wt % but form fibers at 50 wt % concentration. The addition of PEO to SKL solutions led to an increase in shear moduli and pronounced strain hardening in elongational flow. The characteristic time scales of tensile stress growth (λ) measured with CaBER were dependent on the SKL concentration, PEO concentration, and PEO molecular weight. In contrast to SKL solutions, SKL/PEO solutions are electrospinnable over the concentration range of 25–45 wt % SKL depending on the combination of SKL concentration, PEO concentration, and PEO molecular weight. Correlation between the fiber diameters obtained during electrospinning and the measured value of λ are discussed.

Viscoelastic analysis of single-component and composite PEG and alginate hydrogels

Hydrogels, three-dimensional hydrophilic polymer networks, are appealing candidate materials for studying the cellular microenvironment as their substantial water content helps to better mimic soft tissue. However, hydrogels can lack mechanical stiffness, strength, and toughness. Composite hydrogel systems have been shown to improve upon mechanical properties compared to their singlecomponent counterparts. Poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) and alginate are polymers that have been used to form hydrogels for biological applications. Singlecomponent and composite PEGDMA and alginate systems were fabricated with a range of total polymer concentrations. Bulk gels were mechanically characterized using spherical indentation testing and a viscoelastic analysis framework. An increase in shear modulus with increasing polymer concentration was demonstrated for all systems. Alginate hydrogels were shown to have a smaller viscoelastic ratio than the PEGDMA gels, indicating more extensive relaxation over time. Composite alginate and PEGDMA hydrogels exhibited a combination of the mechanical properties of the constituents, as well as a qualitative increase in toughness. Additionally, multiple hydrogel systems were produced that had similar shear moduli, but different viscoelastic behaviors. Accurate measurement of the mechanical properties of hydrogels is necessary in order to determine what parameters are key in modeling the cellular microenvironment. Open image in new window

Probing Membrane Biomechanics of Erythrocytes Parasitized by <italic>Salmonella paratyphi B</italic> Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Parasitization by Salmonella paratyphi B ( Sp B ) leads to morphological, structural, biochemical component, and mechanical deformation alterations to the host erythrocytes. To probe these modifications at the nanoscale, we apply atomic force microscopy and diffraction phase microscopy to measure the mechanical properties of red blood cell (RBC) membrane infected by Sp B , including deformability, shear modulus and bending modulus. Combining the two techniques with a new mathematical model describing RBC membrane is very sensitive to the invader of parasitic Sp B . The results demonstrated that the growing parasite in their host RBCs caused structure changes and decreased deformation. Coincident with this morphological transition, there is a significant increase in the membrane's shear and bending moduli. This mechanical transition can alter cell circulation and impede oxygen delivery. The results indicated that proteins transported from invading organisms, such as the Ivirulent parasitic Sp B , to specific binding sites in the spectrin network are considered to introduce significant alterations to RBC membrane skeleton network, dynamics and mechanical response. These changes could provide insights into possible mechanistic pathways in the pathogenesis of parasitic Sp B , which may provide new ideas on further experiments and analyses.

Particle tracking microrheology of purified gastrointestinal mucins

The rheological characteristics of gastric and duodenal mucin solutions, the building blocks of the mucus layer that covers the epithelia of the two organs, were investigated using particle tracking microrheology. We used biochemically well characterized purified porcine mucins (MUC5AC and MUC2) as models for human mucins, to probe their viscoelasticity as a function of mucin concentration and pH. Furthermore, we used both reducing (dithiothreitol, DTT) and chaotropic agents (guanidinium chloride and urea) to probe the mesoscopic forces that mediate the integrity of the polymer network. At neutral pH both gastric and duodenal mucins formed self-assembled semi-dilute networks above a certain critical mucin concentration (c*) with the viscosity (η) scaling as η∼c(0.53±0.08) for MUC5AC and η∼c(0.53±0.06) for MUC2, where c is the mucin concentration. Above an even higher mucin concentration threshold (ce , the entanglement concentration) reptation occurs and there is a dramatic increase in the viscosity scaling, η∼c(3.92±0.38) for MUC5AC and η∼c(5.1±0.8) for MUC2. The dynamics of the self-assembled comb polymers is examined in terms of a scaling model for flexible polyelectrolyte combs. Both duodenum and gastric mucin are found to be pH switchable gels, gelation occurring at low pHs. There is a hundred-fold increase in the elastic shear modulus once the pH is decreased. The addition of DTT, guanidinium chloride and urea disassembles both the semi-dilute and gel structures causing a large increase in the compliance (decrease in their shear moduli). Addition of the polyphenol EGCG has a reverse effect on mucin viscoelasticity, that is, it triggers a sol-gel transition in semi-dilute mucin solutions at neutral pH.

Designing a Strand Orientation Pattern for Improved Shear Properties of Oriented Strand Board

AbstractAs oriented strand board (OSB) increases in use, improving the mechanical properties is of importance. Improved in-plane shear properties will allow for more efficient use as well as open up other opportunities in engineered wood products with high shear stresses. Based on classical laminated plate theory, composite laminates with ±45° laminate alignment patterns produce higher in-plane shear modulus and strength compared with typical 0°/90°/0° alignment. Oriented strand board was manufactured 13.3-mm thick with 0°/+45°/−45°/−45°/+45°/0° and 0°/90°/0° alignment patterns, and in-plane shear, bending, nail connection, and small-scale shear wall properties compared to commercial OSB. Results showed a 24% increase in shear modulus for the 0°/+45°/−45°/−45°/+45°/0° alignment when compared with the 0°/90°/0° alignment using a method similar to a standard in-plane shear test. Results also show 10% reduction in bending modulus of elasticity in the parallel direction. Small-scale shear wall tests were inse...

A Dislocation Pile-Up Computation for Adiabatic Shear Banding

ABSTRACTA model is presented for computing the temperature increase associated with the formation of an adiabatic shear band. The hypothesis is that the heating is supplied by the difference in energy of a pile-up of n dislocations and the energy of n individual dislocations. The heating is assumed to occur within a volume determined by the grain size (i.e. slip band length) and an effective thermal length determined by the dislocation velocity. The model predicts increases in temperature with increasing shear modulus (G), increasing numbers of piled up dislocations (n), increasing Burgers vector (b), increased grain size (d), and increased dislocation velocity (vd). Increasing temperature is also predicted with decreasing heat capacity (c*) and thermal diffusivity (α) as would be expected. The model was applied to low carbon steel for which considerable data are available. Application to low carbon steel gives a temperature increase of about 1400K. The implied result that untempered martensite should be observed after adiabatic shear banding is in agreement with examples cited in the literature. Further investigation into the dynamics of pile-up release and the associated heat transfer mechanisms is discussed.

Fracture and Viscoelastic Properties of Asphalt Binders During Fatigue and Rest Periods

Abstract Viscoelastic asphalt binder plays an important role in bonding individual aggregate particles and contributes to the durability and stability of asphalt pavement. When asphalt binder is subjected to cyclic loading, deformation and fracture may develop simultaneously within it, leading to the deterioration of material properties and eventually fatigue failure. Research has found that some degree of recovery may develop if rest periods are applied after fatigue deterioration. However, it is not clear whether such recovery is caused by fracture healing, viscoelastic recovery, or both. This paper presents an analysis to differentiate the contributions of fracture healing and viscoelastic recovery to the asphalt binder during rest periods. It also evaluates the damage caused by deformation and fracture during a fatigue process. It is found that viscoelastic recovery plays an important role in the instant increase in the dynamic shear modulus at the beginning of the rest period. The effect of fracture healing on dynamic shear modulus recovery is more dominant in the long term. A healing index is developed based only on the fracture healing of asphalt binder, excluding the effect of viscoelastic recovery. It can be used to evaluate the true healing properties of different asphalt binders.

Elasticity behavior, phonon spectra, and the pressure–temperature phase diagram of HfTi alloy: A density-functional theory study

The pressure-induced phase transition, elasticity behavior, thermodynamic properties, and P–T phase diagram of α, ω, and β equiatomic HfTi alloy are investigated using first-principles density-functional theory (DFT). The simulated pressure-induced phase transition of the alloy follows the sequence of α→ω→β, in agreement with the experimental results of Hf and Ti metals. Our calculated elastic constants show that the α and ω phases are mechanically stable at ambient pressure, while the β phase is unstable, where a critical pressure of 18.5GPa is predicted for its mechanical stability. All the elastic constants, bulk modulus, and shear modulus increase upon compression for the three phases of HfTi. The ductility of the alloy is shown to be well improved with respect to pure Hf and Ti metals. The Mulliken charge population analysis illustrates that the increase of the d-band occupancy will stabilize the β phase under pressure. The phonon spectra and phonon density of states are studied using the supercell approach for the three phases, and the stable nature of α and ω phases at ambient pressure are observed, while the β phase is only stable along the [110] direction. With the Gibbs free energy calculated from DFT-parametrized Debye model as a function of temperature and pressure, the phase transformation boundaries of the α, ω, and β phases of HfTi are identified.

Deformation Gradients Imprint the Direction and Speed of En Masse Fibroblast Migration for Fast Healing

En masse cell migration is more relevant than single cell migration in physiological processes of tissue formation, such as embryogenesis, morphogenesis and wound healing. In these situations, cells are influenced by the proximity of other cells including interactions facilitated by substrate mechanics. Here we found that when fibroblasts migrated en masse over a hydrogel, they established a well-defined deformation field by traction forces and migrated along a trajectory defined by field gradients. The mechanics of the hydrogel determined the magnitude of the gradient. For materials stiff enough to withstand deformation related to cellular traction forces, such patterns did not form. Furthermore, migration patterns functioned poorly on very soft matrices where only a minimal traction gradient could be established. The largest degree of alignment and migration velocity occurred on the gels with the largest gradients. Granulation tissue formation in punch wounds of juvenile pigs was correlated strongly with the modulus of the implanted gel in agreement with in vitro en masse cell migration studies. These findings provide basic insight into the biomechanical influences on fibroblast movement in early wounds and relevant design criteria for development of tissue-engineered constructs that aim to stimulate en masse cell recruitment for rapid wound healing.