Nanoindentation of bio-sourced adhesive 75% rosin/25% beeswax: Experimental results and modelisation

•A bio-sourced adhesive made of 75%w/w rosin and 25%w/w beeswax was studied.•Tack and mechanical properties were highlighted by experimental nanoindentations.•They depend strongly of the applied strain rate and are dictated by a size effect.•A modelisation of these phenomena is proposed.•The experimental measurements and the numerical results are in good agreement.

A bio-sourced adhesive made of 75%w/w rosin and 25%w/w beeswax was studied in terms of tack and mechanical properties. These behaviours were highlighted by experimental nanoindentation. They depend strongly upon the applied strain rate and are moreover dictated by a “size effect” (Indentation Size Effect). The goal of this paper is to model these phenomena in order to simulate any nanoindentation test on this adhesive. At first, the dependence on strain rate and the macroscopic law of material behaviour were characterised by means of compression tests. Then the size effect was identified by inverse analysis from the nanoindentation tests by adjusting a “zoning”. And finally, a cohesive zone model was implemented to represent the tackiness of the material. The experimental measurements and the numerical results are in good agreement.