Rectification of stress by fiber networks: Manifestation of non-linear screening through self-organized buckling

Abstract

Force transmission at large length scales is crucial for such biological functions as cell motility and morphogenesis. The networks that transmit these forces are malleable, patterned by active forces generated at the microscale by biological motors. In this paper we explore a simple model of a non-linear fiber network which has only two modes of deformation, but exhibits diverse mechanical phases with distinct large-scale response, tuned by the strength of a microscopic force dipole. We demonstrate, via numerical simulations, that the network is remodeled by organized patterns of buckling, which lead to a renormalization of the Poisson ratio. Finally, we show that the emergent behavior at large length scales can be ascribed to "mechanical screening" of the force dipole, analogous to dielectric screening of charges in electrostatics.