A finite element model for the analysis of buckling driven delaminations of thin films on rigid substrates

Abstract

The delamination process of thin films on rigid substrates is investigated. Such systems are typically subject to high residual compression and modest adhesion causing them to buckling driven blisters. In certain cases buckles with the shape of telephone cords are observed. A finite element model for quasi-static delamination growth is developed. Applying a Reissner-Mindlin shell kinematic for the film allows C 0 − continuous shape functions. The traction vector at the film-substrate interface is obtained from the derivative of a cohesive free energy. Incorporation of loading and unloading conditions is considered for the irreversible process. The equilibrium state is computed iteratively in dependence of the compressive residual stresses. The computed telephone cord delaminations are stable asymmetric configurations whereas the symmetric configurations are unstable.

The effect of interface adhesion on buckling and cracking of hard thin films

“…14,16 It has been shown that by taking into account interface adhesion using a cohesive zone model, the kinematics of a propagating telephone cord buckle can be simulated. 17 It has also been demonstrated that the height and width of the buckles are related to the properties of the cohesive zone in both FEM simulations 18,19 and atomistic simulations. 16,20 Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of a Ti 0.39 Si 0.04 N 0.57 thin film grown on a silicon substrate using DC reactive magnetron sputtering 4 showed that various buckling patterns were generated including circular blisters, straight-sided wrinkles and telephone cords with widths or diameters in the range of 15-25 µm.…”

A Survey of Computational Models for Adhesion

“…Phenomenological traction-separation laws have been considered in a huge range of different applications. For example, to simulate and study blood clotting [167], fiber debonding [155], fracture mechanics [117,147,148], elastoplastic peeling [168,169], sandwich beams [170], debonding of viscoelastic polymers [171], mixed-mode delamination [172], rate dependent peeling [69], interface fracture [150], coupled adhesion and friction [173], adhesive contact between elasto-plastic solids [174], elasto-plastic debonding [175], dynamic thin film delamination [8,176], focal cell adhesion [177], the aggregation of cells [178], mode I debonding of elastic bodies [179], mixed-mode debonding [180], microcrack decohesion [181], thin film buckling [182], multiscale modeling of cohesive failure [183], powder cohesion [184], debonding with mixed FE [185], mixed-mode debonding of reinforcement sheets [186], membrane adhesion [187,188], non-associated viscoplasticity of adhesives [83], adhesive impact of spheres accounting for hysteresis [151], bond degradation due to humidity and thermal effects [189], debonding of lap joints [88], adhesion of surfaces covered with micro-columns [190], mixed-mode debonding of DCBs (double cantilever beams) [133,136], bonding in metal forming [191], and fibrillation in delamination …”

Investigating the secondary buckling of thin films with a model based on elastic rods with hinges

“…This allows one to follow the buckled structure in the advanced postcritical regime. Investigation of these secondary buckling equilibria is still active [Jagla 2007;Gruttmann and Pham 2008;Song et al 2008]. Numerical exploration by means of the finite element method has proved to be valuable for gaining a better understanding of thin film secondary buckling phenomena.…”