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Cavity growth in soft adhesives
A Chiche1, J Dollhofer, C Creton
1U.M.R. 7615, Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Polymères et des Milieux Dispersés, ESPCI, 10 Rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris Cédex 05, France.
The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
|July 5, 2005
Summary
Cavity growth in confined adhesive layers under tensile stress was studied. Mean cavitation stress surprisingly depends on layer thickness, explained by a model of energy-activated transitions in finite-sized layers.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid Mechanics
- Adhesion Science
Background:
- Cavity nucleation and growth are critical phenomena in material failure.
- Understanding these processes in confined adhesive layers is essential for predicting material behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the growth dynamics of cavities in soft adhesive layers confined by a rigid surface.
- To determine the factors influencing critical stress and growth rates of these cavities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a probe method to apply tensile stress to a confined adhesive layer.
- Monitored cavity appearance and growth using a CCD camera.
- Analyzed cavity statistics as a function of applied negative hydrostatic pressure.
Main Results:
- Cavity appearance above a critical stress was largely independent of layer thickness when large initial germs were present.
- Cavities grew simultaneously and at a uniform rate with increasing stress.
- In the absence of large germs, cavities appeared sequentially, reaching a size limited by layer thickness.
- Mean cavitation stress was found to depend on surface topography and, surprisingly, layer thickness.
Conclusions:
- The observed dependence of mean cavitation stress on layer thickness can be explained by a model considering energy-activated transitions in finite-sized layers.
- This model highlights the role of elastic energy stored in the adhesive layer in controlling cavity growth.