Regimes of wrinkling in an indented floating elastic sheet

TL;DR

This paper investigates the wrinkling behavior of a floating elastic sheet under indentation, identifying different regimes and the influence of finite size, with theoretical predictions supported by recent experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of wrinkling regimes in floating elastic sheets, emphasizing the role of finite size and providing scaling laws for wrinkle patterns.

Findings

Identification of multiple wrinkling regimes during indentation

Scaling relations for the number of wrinkles at threshold

Experimental validation of theoretical predictions

Abstract

A thin, elastic sheet floating on the surface of a liquid bath wrinkles when poked at its centre. We study the onset of wrinkling as well as the evolution of the pattern as indentation progresses far beyond the wrinkling threshold. We use tension field theory to describe the macroscopic properties of the deformed film and show that the system passes through a host of different regimes, even while the deflections and strains remain small. We show that the effect of the finite size of the sheet ultimately plays a key role in determining the location of the wrinkle pattern, and obtain scaling relations that characterize the number of wrinkles at threshold and its variation as the indentation progresses. Some of our predictions are confirmed by recent experiments of Ripp \emph{et al.} [arxiv: 1804.02421].