Worm-like delamination patterns of thin stainless steel films on polycarbonate substrates

Thin films of type 304L stainless steel on polycarbonate substrates have been deformed under uniaxial compression up to 1.9% to generate straight-sided wrinkles perpendicular to the compression axis. On release of the external stress, these buckling patterns evolve to telephone cords. The elastic energy Variation associated with the buckling of the film, after the decohesion of the film from the substrate, has been determined and the different stages of delamination discussed.