Wrinkling of differentially growing bilayers with similar film and substrate moduli

Growth-induced surface wrinkling in constrained bilayers comprising a thin film attached to a thick substrate is a canonical model for understanding pattern formation in many biological systems. While the bilayer model has received much prior attention, the nonlinear behaviour for arrangements with similar film and substrate properties, or substrate growth that outpaces film growth, remains poorly understood. This paper therefore focuses on these cases in which the substrate’s elasticity dominates surface wrinkling. By combining analytical modelling and finite element simulations incorporating advanced path-following techniques, we characterise critical wrinkling states and explore the initial and advanced post-buckling behaviour for a wide range of film-to-substrate modulus and growth rate ratios. It is shown that the classical leading-order asymptotic expression for the critical strain is not of sufficient accuracy for film-to-substrate modulus ratios below 50, and higher order correction terms are presented. Leveraging a weakly nonlinear analytical model, we introduce a phase diagram categorising stable and unstable post-buckling regimes. Advanced path-following simulations are employed to unveil the evolution of wrinkling patterns, from initial sinusoidal instabilities to complex formations involving period doubling, quadrupling, and eventual surface creasing. These comprehensive phase diagrams, parameterised by film-to-substrate modulus and growth rate ratios, provide new insights into the rich dynamics of surface wrinkling. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of multi-stability in the advanced post-buckling regimes for bilayers experiencing substrate-dominated growth. This work contributes to the understanding of the mechanics underlying pattern formation in growing bilayers over the entire parameter regime, with potential implications for explaining biological morphogenesis and informing the development of novel diagnostic tools and artificial flexible electronic skins. • Pattern formation in a growing film/substrate bilayer is studied. • The stiffness ratio is no more than 50 and substrate grows faster than film. • Asymptotic expressions for the critical growth and wavenumber are derived. • Weakly nonlinear analysis is conducted to determine the nature of the first bifurcation. • Advanced numerical methods are used to categorize behavior in the fully nonlinear regime. • A finite set of wrinkling patterns are found as building blocks for multiple stable states.