The wrinkling of thin elastic sheets occurs over a range of length scales, from the fine scale patterns in substrates on which cells crawl to the coarse wrinkles seen in clothes. Motivated by the wrinkling of a stretched elastic sheet, we deduce a general theory of wrinkling, valid far from the onset of the instability, using elementary geometry and the physics of bending and stretching. Our main result is a set of simple scaling laws; the wavelength of the wrinkles K ÿ1=4 , where K is the stiffness due to an ''elastic substrate'' effect with a multitude of origins, and the amplitude of the wrinkle A . These could form the basis of a highly sensitive quantitative wrinkling assay for the mechanical characterization of thin solid membranes.
REF build theory of thin elastic sheets offering insight into mechanism of wrinkling in human skin.
Geometry and Physics of Wrinkling
Physical review letters
Physical review letters
Medicine Physics