Cutting soft materials: how material differences shape the response.

ABSTRACT: Cutting soft materials is a complex process governed by the interplay of bulk large deformation, interfacial soft fracture, and contact forces with the cutting tool. Existing experimental characterizations and numerical models often fail to capture the variety of observed cutting behaviors, especially the transition from indentation to cutting and the roles of dissipative mechanisms. Here, we combine novel experimental cutting tests on three representative materials-a soft hydrogel, an elastomer, and food materials-with a coupled computational model that integrates soft fracture, adhesion, and frictional interactions. Our experiments reveal material-dependent cutting behaviors, with abrupt or smooth transitions from indentation to crack initiation, followed by distinct steady cutting regim

SUBMITTER: Moreno-Mateos MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12789027 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature