A numerical solution framework for simultaneous peeling of thin elastic strips from a rigid substrate

Abstract

Simultaneous peeling of multiple strips is commonly observed particularly at small-scale detachment processes. Although theoretical treatment of this problem is addressed, numerical solution procedures for geometrically arbitrary multiple-peeling problems are still missing. In this paper, a finite element-based numerical solution procedure for 3-D large displacement multiple-peeling problems is presented. Loading/unloading of peeling strips are expressed in the form of optimality conditions, and the current positions of the peeling fronts are determined locally adapting the multiplicative decomposition and the return mapping algorithm of finite strain plasticity theories. Within an incremental-iterative solution framework, peeling fronts and the current position of other nodes are determined in a staggered way instead of using an active set-based solution algorithm. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated by a series of example problems including multiple peeling of an assembly of randomly oriented strips.