MOTION OF A RIGID SPHERE EMBEDDED IN AN ADHERING ELASTIC OR VISCOELASTIC MEDIUM

The motion of a rigid sphere embedded in an adhering medium and subjected to an external force is analysed exactly in the context of classical elastodynamics. For the limiting case of an incompressible medium it is possible to write down a simple second order differential equation relating displacement of the ball to the external force. The theory is generalised to the case of a viscoelastic solid and the results obtained are pertinent to recently developed experimental methods for testing the dynamical mechanical properties of very low modulus polymer gels. © 1968, Edinburgh Mathematical Society. All rights reserved.