Simulation of bacterial flagellar phase transition by non-convex and non-local continuum modeling

Bacterial flagellar filament can undergo a stress-induced polymorphic phase transition in both vitro and vivo environments. The filament has 12 different helical forms (phases) characterized by different pitch lengths and helix radii. When subjected to the frictional force of flowing fluid, the filament changes between a left-handed normal phase and a right-handed semi-coiled phase via phase nucleation and growth. This paper develops non-local finite element method (FEM) to simulate the phase transition under a displacement-controlled loading condition (controlled helix-twist). The FEM formulation is based on the Ginzburg-Landau theory using a one-dimensional non-convex and non-local continuum model. To describe the processes of the phase nucleation and growth, viscosity-type kinetics is also used. The non-local FEM simulation captures the main features of the phase transition: two-phase coexistence with an interface of finite thickness, phase nucleation and phase growth with interface propagation. The non-local FEM model provides a tool to study the effects of the interfacial energy/thickness and loading conditions on the phase transition.