Mechanics of large folds in thin interfacial films

Vincent Démery, Benny Davidovitch, Christian D. Santangelo
2014 Physical Review E  
A thin film at a liquid interface responds to uniaxial confinement by wrinkling and then by folding; its shape and energy have been computed exactly before self contact. Here, we address the mechanics of large folds, i.e. folds that absorb a length much larger than the wrinkle wavelength. With scaling arguments and numerical simulations, we show that the antisymmetric fold is energetically favorable and can absorb any excess length at zero pressure. Then, motivated by puzzles arising in the
more » ... arison of this simple model to experiments on lipid monolayers and capillary rafts, we discuss how to incorporate film weight, self-adhesion and energy dissipation.
doi:10.1103/physreve.90.042401 pmid:25375504 fatcat:ubrh55hyjvdgjnxfsspsk3dmge