Temperature Wrinkling Prediction in Metal/Polymer Multilayer Coatings

Two modeling approaches, analytical and numerical ones were carried out to simulate the mechanical behaviour of a coated metal steel sheet under thermo-mechanical loads. As the metallic film and the polymer layer have different dilatation coefficients, temperature increase and/or humidity variation can result in a compressive state in the metallic film, and yield to bucking. This phenomenon is called wrinkling. It can be prevented by a stiff polymer layer or a stable film due to adapted thickness and mechanical properties. Wrinkling phenomenon has received increasing attention because of important uses of polymeric coating in many industrial applications. To better understand and predict this phenomenon, analytical and numerical models have been developed and compared.