Indentation of PU at different scales and computational modeling: identification of viscoelasticity and quantification of adhesion effects

In the present study, nanoindentation and macroindentation tests are performed on a soft polymer: polyurethane (PU). Strong viscoelasticity is represented by the force-displacement data on both scales. A finite element method based on an inverse procedure is employed to identify the nonlinear viscoelasticity of PU. An appropriate viscoelastic model is chosen, and the corresponding parameters are identified by matching the experimental responses with the predictions of the computational model. At the very beginning, the uniaxial tensile test, which has a homogeneous deformation, is used to prove the isotropic properties and incompressibility of PU and to identify the viscoelasticity as a reference and verification source. The comparison between the identified results from nanoindentation and macroindentation allows to quantifying the adhesion effects in nanoindentation. The quantification is treated with a traction-separation relationship incorporated into the numerical adhesive contact model. Comparable strain rates in the macro-, nanoindentation and uniaxial tensile tests are considered to identify the viscoelasticity.