Eur. Phys. J. E (2007) 24: 317-324
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2007-10242-0

Regular Article

Can deformation of a polymer film with a rigid coating model geophysical processes?

¹ Faculty of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, 119992, Moscow, Russia
² Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 70, 117393, Moscow, Russia

^* e-mail: volynskii@mail.ru
^** e-mail: Bazhenov@ispm.ru

Received: 5 March 2007
Accepted: 14 November 2007
Published online: 20 December 2007

Abstract

The structural and mechanical behavior of polymer films with a thin rigid coating is analyzed. The behavior of such systems under applied stress is accompanied by the formation of a regular wavy surface relief and by regular fragmentation of the coating. The above phenomena are shown to be universal. Both phenomena (stress-induced development of a regular wavy surface relief and regular fragmentation of the coating) are provided by the specific features of mechanical stress transfer from a compliant soft support to a rigid thin coating. The above phenomena are associated with a specific structure of the system, which is referred to as “a rigid coating on a soft substratum” system (RCSS). Surface microrelief in RCSS systems is similar to the ocean floor relief in the vicinity of mid-oceanic ridges. Thus, the complex system composed of a young oceanic crust and upper Earth's mantle may be considered as typically “a solid coating on a soft substratum” system. Specific features of the ocean floor relief are analyzed in terms of the approach advanced for the description of the structural mechanical behavior of polymer films with a rigid coating. This analysis allowed to estimate the strength of an ocean floor.