Axisymmetric indentation of curved elastic membranes by a convex rigid indenter

S.P. Pearce (1) , J.R. King (2) , M.J. Holdsworth (1)

1 Department of Plant and Crop Sciences
2 UON - University of Nottingham, UK

Motivated by applications to seed germination, we consider the transverse deflection that results from the axisymmetric indentation of an elastic membrane by a rigid body. The elastic membrane is fixed around its boundary, with or without an initial pre-stretch, and may be initially curved prior to indentation. General indenter shapes are considered, and the load-indentation curves that result for a range of spheroidal tips are obtained for both flat and curved membranes. Wrinkling may occur when the membrane is initially curved, and a relaxed strain-energy function is used to calculate the deformed profile in this case. Applications to experiments designed to measure the mechanical properties of seed endosperms are discussed.

Mots clés: Indentation; Hyperelastic; Membrane; Deformation; Endosperm

Domaines: Mécanique des solides [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des solides [physics.class-ph]

S.P. Pearce, J.R. King, M.J. Holdsworth. Axisymmetric indentation of curved elastic membranes by a convex rigid indenter. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics, 2011, 46 (9), pp.1128. ⟨10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2011.04.030⟩. ⟨hal-00784915⟩