A clean cut

The effectiveness of slicing in cutting soft solids (i.e., transverse motion along the blade) is natural to anyone with even slightest kitchen experience, but underlying mechanism remains intriguing. This study seeks unveil mystic role by looking into effect friction materials. With increase indentation depth, nonlinearity large deformation superficial layer diverts lateral stress from compression classic linear elastic solution and introduces a tension that accounts for ultimate fracture. However, when present between blade material, there always finite no-slip region on contact surface, under which compressive all directions. blade, other hand, directs toward horizontal direction, thus minimizing its contribution resisting process vertical plane, enabling clean cut. Through numerical model frictional wire hyperelastic solid, we show action force, enables sliding, facilitates development local tension. Without trustworthy stress-based fracture criterion solids, then energetics process. By introducing small pre-existing crack underneath compute energy landscape system reduction plane greatly decreases barrier opening promotes cutting.