Issue 6, 2011
From the journal:

Soft Matter

From craquelures to spiral crack patterns: influence of layer thickness on the crack patterns induced by desiccation

V. Lazarusa  and  L. Pauchard*b  

* Corresponding authors

a UPMC Univ Paris 6, UMR 7608, Lab FAST, Bat 502, Campus Univ, Orsay, France, EU
E-mail: lazarus@fast.u-psud.fr
Fax: +33 1 69 15 80 60
Tel: +33 1 69 15 80 39

b CNRS, UMR 7608, Lab FAST, Bat 502, Campus Univ, Orsay, France, EU
E-mail: pauchard@fast.u-psud.fr
Fax: +33 1 69 15 80 60
Tel: +33 1 69 15 80 49

Abstract

As a film of dispersed colloidal particles consolidates by desiccation on a rigid substrate, enormous stresses develop. Most of the time, these stresses exceed the strength of the material causing crack formation. Although undesirable in most industrial cases, crack patterns exhibit a useful method to characterize paintings. Indeed, crack patterns are the signature of the particles, solvent and substrate type, the drying conditions and the film thickness. Here we focus on the influence of this last parameter on the final crack morphologies. In particular, using a colloidal dispersion with transparency properties, we observe that craquelures, delamination and spiral crack morphologies can be obtained by changing only the film thickness. An extensive description of the formation dynamics and final geometry of each pattern is presented, highlighting the key geometric parameters that may easily be used by a broad audience, including the mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, geology and art communities.

Graphical abstract: From craquelures to spiral crack patterns: influence of layer thickness on the crack patterns induced by desiccation

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C0SM00900H
Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Aug 2010
Accepted
22 Dec 2010
First published
03 Feb 2011

Soft Matter, 2011,7, 2552-2559

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From craquelures to spiral crack patterns: influence of layer thickness on the crack patterns induced by desiccation

V. Lazarus and L. Pauchard, Soft Matter, 2011, 7, 2552 DOI: 10.1039/C0SM00900H

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