On surface growth of actin networks

A continuum theory of surface growth is applied to the mechanical modeling of cell motility. The theory relies on a decomposition of the motion into deformation- and growth-inducing parts. A non-dissipative constitutive relation is adopted and expressed exclusively in terms of the current configuration. The resulting model is used in the simulation of a network of actin filaments, and a simple one-dimensional example is included to showcase its predictive capacity.