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Fabrication of Ultra-thin Color Films with Highly Absorbing Media Using Oblique Angle Deposition

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Cloaking by coating: how effectively does a thin, stiff coating hide a soft substrate?

Finn Box¹, Cyprien Jacquemot¹, Mokhtar Adda-Bedia²

¹Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Rd, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK. dominic.vella@maths.ox.ac.uk.

|April 15, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A stiff coating on soft material can mask its true mechanical properties. Indenter size critically influences this cloaking effect, with larger indenters revealing the substrate

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Mechanical Engineering
Biomechanics

Background:

Many natural and synthetic soft materials possess a stiffer outer layer.
This coating layer significantly influences the composite material's mechanical response.
The 'cloaking effect' describes how a stiff coating can alter perceived material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantitatively characterize the mechanical cloaking effect in coated soft materials.
To investigate the role of indenter size in indentation tests on coated materials.
To understand how coating and substrate properties are sensed during indentation.

Main Methods:

Theoretical modeling of indentation mechanics for coated materials.
Experimental indentation tests on composite solids.
Quantitative analysis of firmness measurements based on material properties and indenter dimensions.

Main Results:

Indenter size is a critical factor in the effectiveness of the cloaking effect.
Small indenters probe a composite response, sensing both coating and substrate properties.
Large indenters primarily sense the properties of the underlying substrate material.

Conclusions:

The perceived firmness of a coated material is highly dependent on the scale of mechanical probing.
Understanding indenter size effects is crucial for accurate material characterization of coated structures.
This study provides a quantitative framework for analyzing the mechanical cloaking phenomenon.