2008/01/31 by T. Baumberger, Tristan Baumberger, C. Caroli +3 · 52 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Composite material #Condensed matter physics #Elasticity and Material Modeling #Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications #Instability #Materials science #Mechanics #Optics #Physics #Quasistatic process #Surface finish #Textile materials and evaluations #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.100.178303
published in Physical Review Letters 100(17), 178303 (American Physical Society)
arxiv created 2008/02/29 · openalex publication_date 2008/05/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The full 2D analysis of roughness profiles of fracture surfaces resulting from quasistatic crack propagation in gelatin gels reveals an original behavior characterized by (i) strong anisotropy with maximum roughness at V-independent symmetry-preserving angles and (ii) a subcritical instability leading, below a critical velocity, to a cross-hatched regime due to straight macrosteps drifting at the same magic angles and nucleated on crack-pinning network inhomogeneities. Step height values are determined by the width of the strain-hardened zone, governed by the elastic crack blunting characteristic of soft solids with breaking stresses much larger than low strain moduli.