Approximate analytic and numerical study on indentation of cellular/foam film with glass substrate

Approximate analytic and numerical studies on depth-sensing indentation response of ordered cellular/foam materials with glass substrate are carried out based on the elasticity theory and the theory of cellular solids. The observation focuses on the pressure distribution and critical value of indentation depth in the contact zone, which are approximately determined. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental measurements. The comparison shows that they are in good agreement with each other. In order to give a reasonable estimation on the integrality of the film system, the deformation and the failure mechanism are analyzed. And further we observe the indentation energy and derive its analytic expression, whose form is very simple and we suggest that it can be used as a parameter characterizing the indentation response.