Repulsion and Attraction between a Pair of Cracks in a Plastic Sheet.

We study the interaction of two collinear cracks in polymer sheets slowly growing towards each other, when submitted to uniaxial stress at a constant loading velocity. Depending on the sample's geometry-specifically, the initial distances d between the two cracks' axes and L between the cracks' tips-we observe different crack paths with, in particular, a regime where the cracks repel each other prior to being attracted. We show that the angle θ characterizing the amplitude of the repulsion-and specifically its evolution with d-depends strongly on the microscopic behavior of the material. Our results highlight the crucial role of the fracture process zone. At interaction distances larger than the process zone size, crack repulsion is controlled by the microscopic shape of the process zone tip, while at shorter distances, the overall plastic process zone screens the repulsion interaction.

Debonding energy of PDMS: A new analysis of a classic adhesion scenario.

We investigated the debonding energy between confined layers of a soft elastic solid (PDMS) and a circular steel indenter in a flat punch geometry. PDMS is extensively used in applications, but also a widespread model system for fundamental research. Varying systematically the pulling speed and the viscoelastic properties, notably the modulus, we determined scaling laws for the debonding energy. We showed that the debonding energy is independent of the sample thickness. Applying a new approach and separating the crack initiation and the propagation part of the force curves, we analyzed the thickness dependence more precisely and we demonstrated that the energy to propagate the crack at given average speed does not only depend on the modulus, but also on the sample thickness.

Softening induced instability of a stretched cohesive granular layer.

We report on a cellular pattern which spontaneously forms at the surface of a thin layer of a cohesive granular material submitted to in-plane stretching. We present a simple model in which the mechanism responsible of the instability is the "strain softening" exhibited by humid granular materials above a typical strain. Our analysis indicates that such a type of instability should be observed in any system presenting a negative stress sensitivity to strain perturbations.