Slicing of soft materials

We experimentally study the slicing of soft materials. We use a rheometer to press a circular cutting tool into materials (a steel “cookie cutter”). This allows us to measure the normal force required to press the cutter and the torque required to rotate the cutter, while controlling the shear rate. Our soft materials are Styrofoam and PDMS. We find rotating the cutter makes it easier to cut into the material. In particular, without rotation, the cutter only indents the Styrofoam rather than slicing it.