Influence des contraintes sur les propriétés élastiques de surface du gypse sondées par microscopie à force atomique

This paper introduces a new approach to studying the effects of lateral stress on surface elasticity. Recent results in the force modulation with an atomic force microscope (AFM) on the (010) gypsum face are presented and discussed. At the atomic level, the images in the contact mode differ from those mapping the elasticity. At the microscopic level, the images of elasticity vary according to the stress applied to the sample. Without stress, the surface stiffness is uniform. However, a lateral stress induces slipping and shearing processes.