{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/81604"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/81604","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Capillary flows in flexible structures","abstract":"Interactions between capillary and elastic effects are relevant to a variety of applications, from micro- and nano-scale manufacturing to biological systems. In this thesis, we investigate capillary flows in extremely flexible, millimeter-scale cylindrical elastic tubes. We demonstrate that surface tension can cause sufficiently flexible tubes to collapse and coalesce spontaneously through non-axisymmetric buckling, and develop criteria for the initial deformation and complete collapse of a circular tube under capillary pressure. Experimental results are presented for capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a flexible tube. Several regimes are seen for the equilibrium state of a flexible tube under capillary pressure, and deformations of the tube walls are measured in different regimes and compared with a shell theory model. Good agreement is found between experiments and theory overall. Analysis and experimental results show that despite the complex and non-axisymmetric deformed shapes of cylindrical structures, the elastocapillary length used in previous literature for flat plates and sheets can also apply for flexible tubes, if the tube radius is used as the characteristic length scale.","abstract_html":"Interactions between capillary and elastic effects are relevant to a variety of applications, from micro- and nano-scale manufacturing to biological systems. In this thesis, we investigate capillary flows in extremely flexible, millimeter-scale cylindrical elastic tubes. We demonstrate that surface tension can cause sufficiently flexible tubes to collapse and coalesce spontaneously through non-axisymmetric buckling, and develop criteria for the initial deformation and complete collapse of a circular tube under capillary pressure. Experimental results are presented for capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a flexible tube. Several regimes are seen for the equilibrium state of a flexible tube under capillary pressure, and deformations of the tube walls are measured in different regimes and compared with a shell theory model. Good agreement is found between experiments and theory overall. Analysis and experimental results show that despite the complex and non-axisymmetric deformed shapes of cylindrical structures, the elastocapillary length used in previous literature for flat plates and sheets can also apply for flexible tubes, if the tube radius is used as the characteristic length scale.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hoberg, Theresa B. (Theresa Blinn)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Anette E. Hosoi."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013","date_published":"2013","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:30Z","subjects":["Mechanical Engineering."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81604","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Anette E. Hosoi."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hoberg, Theresa B. 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We demonstrate that surface tension can cause sufficiently flexible tubes to collapse and coalesce spontaneously through non-axisymmetric buckling, and develop criteria for the initial deformation and complete collapse of a circular tube under capillary pressure. Experimental results are presented for capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a flexible tube. Several regimes are seen for the equilibrium state of a flexible tube under capillary pressure, and deformations of the tube walls are measured in different regimes and compared with a shell theory model. Good agreement is found between experiments and theory overall. Analysis and experimental results show that despite the complex and non-axisymmetric deformed shapes of cylindrical structures, the elastocapillary length used in previous literature for flat plates and sheets can also apply for flexible tubes, if the tube radius is used as the characteristic length scale."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Capillary flows in flexible structures"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Anette E. Hosoi."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering."],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering."],"dc:creator":["Hoberg, Theresa B. (Theresa Blinn)"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2013-10-24T17:34:07Z"],"dc:date.available":["2013-10-24T17:34:07Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013"],"dc:description":["Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-75)."],"dc:description.abstract":["Interactions between capillary and elastic effects are relevant to a variety of applications, from micro- and nano-scale manufacturing to biological systems. In this thesis, we investigate capillary flows in extremely flexible, millimeter-scale cylindrical elastic tubes. We demonstrate that surface tension can cause sufficiently flexible tubes to collapse and coalesce spontaneously through non-axisymmetric buckling, and develop criteria for the initial deformation and complete collapse of a circular tube under capillary pressure. Experimental results are presented for capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a flexible tube. Several regimes are seen for the equilibrium state of a flexible tube under capillary pressure, and deformations of the tube walls are measured in different regimes and compared with a shell theory model. Good agreement is found between experiments and theory overall. Analysis and experimental results show that despite the complex and non-axisymmetric deformed shapes of cylindrical structures, the elastocapillary length used in previous literature for flat plates and sheets can also apply for flexible tubes, if the tube radius is used as the characteristic length scale."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81604"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. 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