Scaling laws in the fragmentation of disordered layers

In this work we investigate the fragmentation of layers under external forc es, model the systems through spring networks, and focus on the interplay b etween elasticity and disorder. We concentrate on thin layers on supports. Our study shows that spring-network models display universal scaling: After an initial stage, the mean fragment length (L) scales with the applied str ain epsilon, (L) proportional to epsilon(-alpha) where alpha only depends o n the degree of disorder in the layer and the nonlinearity in the force-elo ngation relation of the springs. We derive analytical expressions for a and exemplify our findings by numerical simulations. In addition, we compare t he theoretical results with available experimental data.