The nucleation and propagation of solitary Schallamach waves

TL;DR

This study investigates the creation and behavior of solitary Schallamach waves at elastomer interfaces, using high-speed imaging to analyze their dynamics and drawing analogies to dislocation theory.

Contribution

It introduces a quantitative analysis of Schallamach waves, establishing a Burgers vector and applying dislocation models to describe their nucleation and propagation.

Findings

Identification of a Burgers vector for Schallamach waves

Demonstration of dislocation analogues like nucleation stress and pinning

Quantitative description of wave features using elastic dislocation models

Abstract

We isolate single Schallamach waves --- detachment fronts that mediate inhomogeneous sliding between an elastomer and a hard surface --- to study their creation and dynamics. Based on measurements of surface displacement using high-speed \emph{in situ} imaging, we establish a Burgers vector for the waves. The crystal dislocation analogues of nucleation stress, defect pinning and configurational force are demonstrated. It is shown that many experimentally observed features can be quantitatively described using a conventional model of a dislocation line in an elastic medium. We also highlight the evolution of nucleation features such as surface wrinkles, with consequences for interface delamination.