Surface effects on elastic structures

This chapter focuses on how two different surface effects can deform elastic structures. It begins with the interaction between capillary surface tension and slender mechanics, and how a droplet can deform a thin sheet. The chapter shows that a liquid can deform a solid in its bulk, but only at a very small scale, and for very soft solids. It also shows that on slender structures, surface or capillary effects may produce macroscopic deformations, even in materials with a high Young's modulus. The chapter then focuses on the description of dielectric elastomers, with an emphasis on electrostatic interactions seen as a surface effect, which play an important role. It represents a simple demonstration of how inhomogeneous growth can trigger 3D shapes in electroactive polymers. Building on this idea, more complicated electrode geometries have been considered, which lead to different buckling modes. In parallel, numerical tools are developed to study these types of problems.