Estimation of the elastic modulus and the work of adhesion of soft materials using the extended Borodich–Galanov (BG) method and depth sensing indentation

Abstract

The depth-sensing indentation (DSI) is currently one of the main experimental techniques for studying elastic properties of materials of small volumes. Usually DSI tests are performed using sharp pyramidal indenters and the load-displacement curves obtained are used for estimations of elastic moduli of materials, while the curve analysis for these estimations is based on the assumptions of the Hertz contact theory of non-adhesive contact. The Borodich-Galanov (BG) method provides an alternative methodology for estimations of the elastic moduli along with estimations of the work of adhesion of the contacting pair in a single experiment using the experimental DSI data for spherical indenters. The method assumes fitting the experimental points of the load-displacement curves using a dimensionless expression of an appropriate theory of adhesive contact. Earlier numerical simulations showed that the BG method was robust. Here first the original BG method is modified and then its accuracy in the estimation of the reduced elastic modulus is directly tested by comparison with the results of conventional tensile tests. The method modification is twofold: (i) a two-stage fitting of the theoret

Depth-Sensing Indentation as a Micro- and Nanomechanical Approach to Characterisation of Mechanical Properties of Soft, Biological, and Biomimetic Materials

“…The focus of the original method is on the use of the classical theories of adhesive contact. However, this issue has recently been addressed, as Perepelkin et al [93] announced the eBG method, an extended version of the original approach which has distinctive new features, such as orthogonal distance fitting concept, and two stage fitting approach. Theoretical aspects of the eBG method are presented in the recent work [82], which describes two different implementations of the eBG method.…”

“…Theoretical aspects of the eBG method are presented in the recent work [82], which describes two different implementations of the eBG method. Here we briefly discuss the variant of the eBG method which was successfully used in [93].…”

“…The above two-stage approach has been experimentally validated in [93] by conducting two independent experiments: (a) a DSI experiment with subsequent use of the eBG method, and (b) a tensile testing of dumbbell specimens made of the same material. The values of the reduced elastic modulus obtained form DSI data by means of the eBG method, and the ones obtained from the tensile testing were in good agreement.…”

Contact probing of prestressed adhesive membranes of living cells

“…[68]). However, later it was suggested to employ in the extended BG (eBG) method another objective functional based on the concept of orthogonal distance curve fitting [24,69,70].…”

Adhesion of Soft Materials to Rough Surfaces: Experimental Studies, Statistical Analysis and Modelling

“…Then, depth-sensing indentation (DSI) tests were performed. The force tester Basalt 01 (Tetra GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany) used in the tests was described earlier in several papers (see, e.g., [7][8][9][10]). All measurements were carried out at a constant applied force (F load = 503.11 ± 23.43 µN).…”