Large deformation of soft elastic materials in adhesive contact with a rigid cylindrical flat punch

Abstract

A large strain finite element analysis is used to study the deformation of an incompressible Neo-Hookean half space in contact with a flat rigid cylindrical punch. We assume adhesion between the elastic solid and the punch and we study the deformation as the punch is retracted. We considered two interface conditions, frictionless and no slip. Numerical results are compared with the predictions of small strain linear elastic (SSLE) theory. Our results show that many aspects of the deformation are not captured by the SSLE theory. For example, the interfacial normal stress at the punch edge is much higher for the case with frictionless boundary conditions. The deformation profiles are also very different. Our results give important insights into how soft adhesives deform when they are detached from a hard surface.