Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA https://doi.org/c9ct (2019)

From cell monolayers to modern architecture, two-dimensional disordered structures confer remarkable robustness and flexibility. But mitigating the effects of failure in these materials is a task complicated by their heterogeneity. Now, Estelle Berthier and colleagues have taken inspiration from network science to forecast failure locations by comparing the importance of connections within the disordered lattice.

The geodesic edge betweenness centrality quantifies the extent to which a node or edge of a network features in the shortest paths of the structure, offering a proxy for its importance. Berthier and colleagues computed this property for a network defined by the contacts formed in a real granular packing (pictured). They then laser cut an acrylic sheet in the shape of their measured contact network and tested its response to loading. The team found that failure occurred primarily where geodesic edge betweenness centrality exceeded the mean of the network — providing a test for predicting vulnerability.