No Arabic abstract
The classical models of Hertz, Sneddon and Boussinesq provide solutions for problems of indentation of a semi-infinite elastic massif by a sphere, a sphere or a cone and a flat punch. Although these models have been widely tested, it appears that at small scales and for flexible materials, surface tension can contribute to considerably to the mechanical response to indentation. The scales are typically those of the less than one micron for an elastomer and less than one millimetre for a gel. The exploitation of certain experimental results of microscopy or nanoindentation remain approximate due to the absence of models incorporating the effect of surface tension.
Surface tension is a prominent factor for the deformation of solids at micro-/nano-scale. This paper investigates the effects of surface tension on the two-dimensional contact problems of an elastic layer bonded to the rigid substrate. Under the plane strain assumption, the elastic field induced by a uniformly distributed pressure within a finite width is formulated by applying the Fourier integral transform, and the limiting process leading to the solutions for a line force brings the requisite surface Greens function. For the indentation of an elastic layer by a rigid cylinder, the corresponding singular integral equation is derived, and subsequently solved by using an effective numerical method based on Gauss-Chebyshev quadrature formula. It is found from the theoretical and numerical results that the existence of surface tension strongly enhances the hardness of the elastic layer and significantly affects the distribution of contact pressure, when the size of contact region is comparable to the elastocapillary length. In addition, an approximated relationship between external load and half-width of contact is generalized in an explicit and concise form, which is useful and convenient for practical applications.
The contact between a spherical indenter and a solid is considered. A numerical finite element model (F. E. M) to taking into account the surface tension of the solid is presented and assessed. It is shown that for nano-indentation of soft materials, the surface tension of the solid influences significantly the reaction force due to indentation. The validity of the classical Hertz model is defined. In very good approximation, the force vs. indentation depth curve can be fitted by a power law function $F=a^delta b$ where $F$ denotes the force acting on the indentor, $d$ the indentation depth, $a$ and $bin ]1,1.5]$ are constants depending on the materials and the size of the indentor.
We evaluate the effective Hamiltonian governing, at the optically resolved scale, the elastic properties of micro-manipulated membranes. We identify floppy, entropic-tense and stretched-tense regimes, representing different behaviors of the effective area-elasticity of the membrane. The corresponding effective tension depends on the microscopic parameters (total area, bending rigidity) and on the optically visible area, which is controlled by the imposed external constraints. We successfully compare our predictions with recent data on micropipette experiments.
In the literature, there is an ambiguity in defining the relationship between trigonal and cubic symmetry classes of an elasticity tensor. We discuss the issue by examining the eigensystems and symmetry groups of trigonal and cubic tensors. Additionally, we present numerical examples indicating that the sole verification of the eigenvalues can lead to confusion in the identification of the elastic symmetry.
Constitutive tensors are of common use in mechanics of materials. To determine the relevant symmetry class of an experimental tensor is still a tedious problem. For instance, it requires numerical methods in three-dimensional elasticity. We address here the more affordable case of plane (bi-dimensional) elasticity, which has not been fully solved yet. We recall first Vianellos orthogonal projection method, valid for both the isotropic and the square symmetric (tetragonal) symmetry classes. We then solve in a closed-form the problem of the distance to plane elasticity orthotropy, thanks to the Euler-Lagrange method.