Droplet formation in the rupture of a liquid film under the action of a thermal load

The deformation and rupture of a liquid film, suspended between two solid walls, under the action of a localized thermal load is considered. For studying this process, a two-dimensional model is used, which describes the motion of a thin layer of a viscous non-isothermal liquid under microgravity conditions. For modeling the dynamics of the liquid, the Navier-Stokes equations in the “vorticity—stream function” variables are used. A numerical analysis of the influence of thermal loads on the deformation and the mechanism of the rupture of freely suspended films is performed. Is is shown that for a certain width of the thermal beam acting on the film free surface the rupture of the film may occur with the formation of a droplet. The results of the solution of model problems are presented.     

Aqueous foams and foam films stabilised by surfactants. Gravity-free studies

There are still many open questions and problems in both fundamental research and practical applications of foams. Despite the fact that foams have been extensively studied, many aspects of foam physics and chemistry still remain unclear. Experiments on foams performed under microgravity allow studying wet foams, such as those obtained early during the foaming process. On Earth, wet foams evolve too quickly due to gravity drainage and only dry foams can be studied. This paper reviews the foam and foam film studies that we have performed in gravity-free conditions. It highlights the importance of surface rheology as well as of confinement effects in foams and foam films behaviour.     

Wrinkling of a charged elastic film on a viscous layer

A thin metallic film deposited on a compliant polymeric substrate begins to wrinkle under compression induced in curing process and afterwards cooling of the system. The wrinkle mode depends upon the thin film elasticity, thickness, compressive strain, as well as mechanical properties of the compliant substrate. This paper presents a simple model to study the modulation of the wrinkle mode of thin metallic films bonded on viscous layers in external electric field. During the procedure, linear perturbation analysis was performed for determining the characteristic relation that governs the evolution of the plane-strain wrinkle of the thin films under varying conditions, i.e., the maximally unstable wrinkle mode as a function of the film surface charge, film elasticity and thickness, misfit strain, as well as thickness and viscosity of the viscous layer. It shows that, in proper electric field, thin film may wrinkle subjected to either compression or tension. Therefore, external electric field can be employed to modulate the wrinkle mode of thin films. The present results can be used as the theoretical basis for wrinkling analysis and mode modulation in surface metallic coatings, drying adhesives and paints, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), etc.     

Multi-layer thin films/substrate system subjected to non-uniform misfit strains

Current methodologies used for the inference of thin film stress through curvature measurement are strictly restricted to stress and curvature states that are assumed to remain uniform over the entire film/substrate system. These methodologies have recently been extended to a single layer of thin film deposited on a substrate subjected to the non-uniform misfit strain in the thin film. Such methodologies are further extended to multi-layer thin films deposited on a substrate in the present study. Each thin film may have its own non-uniform misfit strain. We derive relations between the stresses in each thin film and the change of system curvatures due to the deposition of each thin film. The interface shear stresses between the adjacent films and between the thin film and the substrate are also obtained from the system curvatures. This provides the basis for the experimental determination of thin film stresses in multi-layer thin films on a substrate.     

Distribution of dislocation source length and the size dependent yield strength in freestanding thin films

A method is proposed to estimate the size-dependent yield strength of columnar-grained freestanding thin films. The estimate relies on assuming a distribution of the size of Frank-Read sources, which is then translated into a log-normal distribution of the source strength, depending on film thickness, grain size and theoretical strength of the material, augmented with a single fit parameter. Two-dimensional discrete dislocation plasticity (DDP) simulations are carried out for two sets of Cu films and the fit parameter is determined from independent experiments. Subsequent DDP predictions of the stress-strain curves in comparison with the corresponding experimental data show excellent agreement of initial yield strength and hardening rate for films of varying film thickness and grain size. Having thus demonstrated the power of the proposed strength distribution, it is shown that the mode of this distribution governs the most effective source strength. This is then used to suggest a method to estimate the yield strength of thin films as a function of film thickness and grain size. Simple maps are presented that are in very good agreement with recent experimental results for Cu thin films.     

温度场下岛-桥结构屈曲薄膜的动力学分析

基于岛-桥结构的柔性电子器件已被用于健康监测和皮肤电子等领域。但是柔性电子器件在工作中极易受工作温度变化等激励产生振动,进而影响器件的灵敏度与可靠性。因此本文研究在温度场作用下岛-桥结构屈曲薄膜的动力学问题。首先,基于Euler-Bernoulli梁理论,建立温度场作用下岛-桥结构屈曲薄膜的动力学控制方程。其次,通过引入新变量,将原动力学方程引入Hamilton体系中,得到相应的Hamilton正则方程。随后,采用辛Runge-Kutta方法求解该Hamilton正则方程,并与经典Runge-Kutta方法对比,数值结果显示了辛算法在求解非线性动力学方程时高精度、高数值稳定性的优势,进一步讨论了温度变化量、预应变、阻尼系数等对屈曲薄膜动力学响应的影响。本文研究为柔性电子器件动力学设计提供了理论参考。     

Surfactant spreading on thin viscous films: film thickness evolution and periodic wall stretch

Surfactant spreading on thin viscous films is of interest in the context of surfactant and liquid transport in the lungs, for both normal lung function and treatment of disease, as well as for many industrial processes. This paper presents experimental techniques for the measurement of film deformations due to spreading surfactant and for the investigation of the effects of periodic stretching of the wall supporting the thin film to mimic airway wall motion in the lung due to breathing. Additionally, we present results from both types of experiments, which agree favorably with our theoretical work.     

Effect of the thermophysical properties of the liquid on the rupture of a film under a thermal load. Role of the Prandtl number

The rupture of freely hanging liquid films depending on the Prandtl number is considered. The process is studied using a mathematical model based on two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations which describes the motion of a thin layer of a nonisothermal viscous liquid in microgravity. It is shown that if the temperature on the entire free surface is given in advance, the lifetime of the film, the character of the rupture, and the position of the free surface, with the set of forces taken into account in the model, do not depend on the Prandtl number. If temperature is specified only in some region of the free surface, and on the rest of the surface, it is to be determined in the process of solving the problem, the Prandtl number plays an important role. Results of solution of model problems are presented.     

FLOW-INDUCED VIBRATION OF FREE EDGES OF THIN FILMS

During manufacturing processes of thin materials such as paper, photographic film, and magnetic film, which are handled as continuous sheets and subjected to drying air-flows, the interaction of the air with the web can cause the free edges to vibrate violently. This phenomenon is related to the waving motion of a flag in the wind, except that the thin films under consideration are under tension in the direction of the air-flow or at right angles to it. A travelling-wave analysis was done based on incompressible potential-flow theory; the critical flow speed, wave speed, wavelength, and flutter frequency were predicted. A closed-form solution of the critical flow speed is suggested. Experiments were carried out with stationary thin films mounted in a wind tunnel where the direction of tension was perpendicular to the flow direction. It was shown that the analysis, which assumes that the film is infinitely long in the flow direction, could successfully predict the critical flow speed above which violent edge vibrations occur.     

Size effects in indentation response of thin films at the nanoscale: A molecular dynamics study

The indentation response of Ni thin films of thicknesses in the nanoscale was studied using molecular dynamics simulations with embedded atom method (EAM) interatomic potentials. A series of simulations were performed in films in the [1 1 1] orientation with thicknesses varying from 4 to 12.8 nm. The study included both single crystal films and films containing low angle grain boundaries perpendicular to the film surface. The simulation results for single crystal films show that as film thickness decreases larger forces are required for similar indentation depths but the contact stress necessary to emit the first dislocation under the indenter is nearly independent of film thickness. The low angle grain boundaries can act as dislocation sources under indentation. The mechanism of preferred dislocation emission from these boundaries operates at stresses that are lower as the film thickness increases and is not active for the thinnest films tested. These results are interpreted in terms of a simple model.     

微重力燃烧研究进展

认识燃烧过程是安全、高效、洁净地利用能源的基础. 但是, 常重力条件下的浮力对流和重力沉降使得燃烧现象变得复杂. 而微重力条件下这些影响几乎消失, 这简化了对燃烧的研究. 在加深对地面燃烧过程和载人航天器火灾安全问题的认识的推动下, 经过近半个世纪特别是最近10多年的发展, 微重力燃烧研究已经涵盖了预混气体、气体扩散、液滴、颗粒和粉尘燃烧、燃料表面的火焰传播等燃烧学科的各个领域. 研究中实现了球对称液滴燃烧、不受沉降影响的粉尘燃烧、静止或低速对流环境中的燃烧, 观察到了火球、自熄灭火焰等现象,阐明了碳黑形成中的热泳力效应、可燃极限与火焰稳定性等机理. 加深了对燃烧现象,特别是对辐射效应的理解: 在预混气体、气体扩散、液滴等多种火焰中, 除了停留时间过短引起的吹熄极限外, 还存在辐射热损失过大引起的冷熄极限, 后者只能在微重力条件下观测到. 部分研究成果已经进入教材. 而火焰在微重力下不同于常重力下的现象, 对载人航天器火灾安全具有重要意义. 考虑到我国的现实情况和国内外的研究现状, 建议将煤炭颗粒和粉尘的燃烧、与碳黑相关的机理、辐射效应、化学动力学等作为我国微重力燃烧的主要研究方向.      

Spectral and directional radiation characteristics of thin-film coated isothermal semitransparent plates

An analysis is presented for prediction the effective spectral, directional radiation characteristics of an isothermal, semitransparent sheet surrounded on both sides by massive dielectrics. This sheet can be coated on one or both sides with one or more optically thin films. Such coated sheets are considered for their applicability as selective cover plates for solar collectors. Extensive computations have been performed to determine what thin film optical properties and film configurations yield the desired selectivity, i.e., high solar transmittance and at the same time high infrared reflectance. Sample results are presented to illustrate the effects of thin film real and imaginary indices of refraction on the spectral reflectance and transmittance of thin film coated glass sheets. Also, directional and polarization effects are considered for selected thin film-plate systems. Some potential candidate materials have been identified and spectral transmittances and reflectances of isothermal plates coated with thin films of these materials have been predicted.     

Tensile and mixed-mode strength of a thin film-substrate interface under laser induced pulse loading

Laser induced stress waves are used to characterize intrinsic interfacial strength of thin films under both tensile and mixed-mode conditions. A short-duration compressive pulse induced by pulsed-laser ablation of a sacrificial layer on one side of a substrate is allowed to impinge upon a thin test film on the opposite surface. Laser-interferometric measurements of test film displacement enable calculation of the stresses generated at the interface. The tensile stress at the onset of failure is taken to be the intrinsic tensile strength of the interface. Fused-silica substrates, with their negative nonlinear elasticity, cause the compressive stress wave generated by the pulse laser to evolve a decompression shock, critical for generation of the fast fall times needed for significant loading of surface film interfaces. By allowing the stress pulse to mode convert as it reflects from an oblique surface, a high amplitude shear wave with rapid fall time is generated and used to realize mixed-mode loading of thin film interfaces. We report intrinsic strengths of an aluminum/fused silica interface under both tensile and mixed-mode conditions. The failure mechanism under mixed-mode loading differs significantly from that observed under pure tensile loading, resulting in a higher interfacial strength for the mixed-mode case. Inferred strengths are found to be independent, as they should be, of experimental parameters.     

A microbeam bending method for studying stress-strain relations for metal thin films on silicon substrates

We have developed a microbeam bending technique for determining elastic-plastic, stress-strain relations for thin metal films on silicon substrates. The method is similar to previous microbeam bending techniques, except that triangular silicon microbeams are used in place of rectangular beams. The triangular beam has the advantage that the entire film on the top surface of the beam is subjected to a uniform state of plane strain as the beam is deflected, unlike the standard rectangular geometry where the bending is concentrated at the support. To extract the average stress-strain relations for the film, we present a method of analysis that requires computation of the neutral plane for bending, which changes as the film deforms plastically. This method can be used to determine the elastic-plastic properties of thin metal films on silicon substrates up to strains of about 1%.Utilizing this technique, both yielding and strain hardening of Cu thin films on silicon substrates have been investigated. Copper films with dual crystallographic textures and different grain sizes, as well as others with strong 〈1 1 1〉 textures have been studied. Three strongly textured 〈1 1 1〉 films were studied to examine the effect of film thickness on the deformation properties of the film. These films show very high rates of work hardening, and an increase in the yield stress and work hardening rate with decreasing film thickness, consistent with current dislocation models.     

Finite width effect of thin-films buckling on compliant substrate: Experimental and theoretical studies

Buckling of stiff thin films on compliant substrates has many important applications ranging from stretchable electronics to precision metrology and sensors. Mechanics plays an indispensable role in the fundamental understanding of such systems. Some existing mechanics models assume plane-strain deformation, which do not agree with experimental observations for narrow thin films. Systematic experimental and analytical studies are presented in this paper for finite-width stiff thin films buckling on compliant substrates. Both experiments and analytical solution show that the buckling amplitude and wavelength increase with the film width. The analytical solution agrees very well with experiments and therefore provides valuable guide to the precise design and control of the buckling profile in many applications. The effect of film spacing is studied via the analytical solutions for two thin films and for periodic thin films.     

Spontaneous instability of soft thin films on curved substrates due to van der Waals interaction

The linear bifurcation theory is used to investigate the stability of soft thin films bonded to curved substrates. It is found that such a film can spontaneously lose its stability due to van der Waals or electrostatic interaction when its thickness reduces to the order of microns or nanometers. We first present the generic method for analyzing the surface stability of a thin film interacting with the substrate and then discuss several important geometric configurations with either a positive or negative mean curvature. The critical conditions for the onset of spontaneous instability in these representative examples are established analytically. Besides the surface energy and Poisson's ratio of the thin film, the curvature of the substrate is demonstrated to have a significant influence on the wrinkling behavior of the film. The results suggest that one may fabricate nanopatterns or enhance the surface stability of soft thin films on curved solid surfaces by modulating the mechanical properties of the films and/or such geometrical properties as film thickness and substrate curvature. This study can also help to understand various phenomena associated with surface instability.     

溶胶—凝胶法陶瓷超薄膜的制备及其摩擦学研究进展

介绍了溶胶—凝胶陶瓷超薄膜制备技术，评述了陶瓷超薄膜性能检测方法以及溶胶—凝胶陶瓷薄膜的摩擦学研究和应用进展．     

Determining the Elastic Modulus of Compliant Thin Films Supported on Substrates from Flat Punch Indentation Measurements

Instrumented indentation is a technique that can be used to measure the elastic properties of soft thin films supported on stiffer substrates, including polymer films, cellulosic sheets, and thin layers of biological materials. When measuring thin film properties using indentation, the effect of the substrate must be considered. Most existing models for determining the properties of thin films from indentation measurements were developed for metal and dielectric films bonded to semiconductor substrates and have been applied to systems with film-substrate modulus ratios between 0.1 and 10. In the present work, flat punch indentation of a thin film either bonded to or in contact with a substrate is examined using finite element modeling. A broad range of film-substrate modulus ratios from 0.0001 to 1 are investigated. As the substrate is effectively rigid compared to the film when the film-substrate modulus ratio is less than 0.0001, the results are also useful for understanding systems with lower film-substrate modulus ratios. The effects of the contact radius, film thickness, elastic properties, and friction between the film and the substrate on the measured stiffness were quantified using finite element modeling in order to understand how the elastic properties of the film can be extracted from indentation measurements. A semi-analytical model was developed to describe the finite element modeling results and facilitate the use of the results to analyze experimental measurements. The model was validated through analysis of indentation measurements of thin polyethylene sheets that were supported on substrates of various stiffness.     

Size-dependent response of ultra-thin films with surface effects

A modified continuum model of elastic films with nano-scale thickness is proposed by incorporating surface elasticity into the conventional nonlinear Von Karman plate theory. By using Hamilton’s principle, the governing equations and boundary conditions of the ultra-thin film including surface effects are derived within the Kirchhoff’s assumption, where the effects of non-zero normal stress and large deflection are taken into account simultaneously. The present model is then applied to studying the bending, buckling and free vibration of simply supported micro/nano-scale thin films in-plane strains and explicit exact solutions can be obtained for these three cases. The size-dependent mechanical behavior of the thin film due to surface effects is well elucidated in the obtained solutions.     

A Discontinuous Elastic Interface Transfer Model of Thin Film Nanoindentation

A new model of thin film indentation that accounted for an apparent discontinuity in elastic strain transfer at the film/substrate interface was developed. Finite element analysis suggested that numerical values of strain were not directly continuous across the interface; the values in the film were higher when a soft film was deposited on a hard substrate. The new model was constructed based on this discontinuity; whereby, separate weighting factors were applied to account for the influence of the substrate in strain developed in the film and vice-versa. By comparing the model to experimental data from thirteen different amorphous thin film materials on a silicon substrate, constants in each weighting factor were found to have physical significance in being numerically similar to the bulk scale Poisson’s ratios of the materials involved. When employing these material properties in the new model it was found to provide an improved match to the experimental data over the existing Doerner and Nix and Gao models. Finally, the model was found to be capable of assessing the Young’s modulus of thin films that do not exhibit a flat region as long as the bulk Poisson’s ratio is known.