Stress-stabilized sub-isostatic fiber networks in a rope-like limit

Biological networks are common in both intercellular and extracellular environments. Mechanics of these disordered fibrous networks is strongly dependent on their local coordination number. It is observed that real biopolymer networks have connectivity between three and four. Such networks are sub-isostatic with only central force interactions, but exhibit a mechanical phase transition between floppy and rigid states under shear. Introducing weak bending interactions stabilizes these networks and decreases the critical signatures of this transition. We show that applying external stresses on a sub-isostatic network with only tensile central force interactions, i.e., a rope-like potential also stabilizes these systems. Moreover, we find that the linear shear modulus shows a power law scaling with the external normal stress, with a non-mean-field exponent. We also find a critical strain that shifts to lower values under prestress. Applied normal stress also suppresses criticality in these systems.