title: Fingering instabilities of confined elastic layers in tension
abstract: Fingering instabilities similar to those commonly observed in viscous systems have been observed in purely elastic layers that are strained in tension. The instability is driven by the release of lateral constraints within a confined elastic layer and is observed when the lateral confinement significantly exceeds the thickness of the elastic layer. Our results show convincingly that yielding or flow of a material is not required in order for fingering to be initiated in a confined material.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2225 North Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3108, USA.
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Shull
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Flanigan
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Crosby