Semi-empirical formulation of contact with an interphase boundary

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

Mechanics of an intimate contact between solid bodies is of key importance to a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines. However, currently, we can only quantify shallow elastic contacts between geometrically well-defined homogeneous materials. In this work we expand the classical formulations in Hertzian contact mechanics and derive an analytical description of a contact with an inhomogeneous material that emerges in numerous synthetic, geological and biological systems. The developed expression is successfully validated using static and dynamic nanoindentation-based measurements across a silicon/silicon dioxide interface. The presented experimental, numerical and theoretical framework is a stepping-stone towards establishing an analytical description of contact with complex structures.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number101541
JournalExtreme Mechanics Letters
Volume50
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

unpaywall 10.1016/j.eml.2021.101541
ORCID /0000-0002-7259-3410/work/142252356

Keywords