Asymptotic regimes in elastohydrodynamic and stochastic leveling on a viscous film

An elastic sheet that deforms near a solid substrate in a viscous fluid is a situation relevant to various dynamical processes in biology, geophysics, and engineering. Here, we study the relaxation dynamics of an elastic plate resting on a thin viscous film that is supported by a solid substrate. By combining scaling analysis, numerical simulations, and experiments, we identify asymptotic regimes for the elastohydrodynamic leveling of a surface …