Non-slipping adhesive contact between mismatched elastic spheres: A model of adhesion mediated deformation sensor

A generalized JKR model is established for non-slipping adhesive contact between two dissimilar elastic spheres subjected to a pair of pulling forces and a mismatch strain. We discuss the full elastic solution to the problem as well as the so-called non-oscillatory solution in which tension and shear tractions along the contact interface is decoupled from each other. The model indicates that the mismatch strain has significant effect on the contact area and the pull-off process. Under a finite pulling force, a pair of adhering spheres is predicted to break apart spontaneously at a critical mismatch strain. This study suggests an adhesion mediated deformation sensing mechanism by which cells and molecules can detect mechanical signals in the environment via adhesive interactions.     

Non-slipping adhesive contact of a rigid cylinder on an elastic power-law graded half-space

In this paper, adhesive contact of a rigid cylinder on an elastic power-law graded half-space is studied analytically with the theory of weakly singular integral equation and orthogonal polynomial method. Emphasis is placed on the coupling effect between tangential and normal directions which was often neglected in previous works. Our analysis shows that the coupling effect tends to reduce the contact area in the compressive regime. The effect of bending moment on the adhesion behavior is also examined. Like a pull-off force, there also exists a critical bending moment at which the cylinder can be bended apart from the substrate. However, unlike pull-off force, the critical bending moment is insensitive to the gradient exponent of the graded material.     

The symmetrical adhesive contact problem for circular elastic cylinders

The rolling contact problem involving circular cylinders is at the heart of numerous industrial processes, and critical to any elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis is an accurate knowledge of the associated contact pressure for the static dry problem. In a recent article [1] the authors have obtained new horizontal pressure distributions, both exact and approximate for various problems involving the symmetrical contact of circular elastic cylinders. In [1] it is assumed that only the circumferential horizontal displacement is prescribed in the contact region while the vertical circumferential displacement is left arbitrary and is assumed to take on whatever value is predicted by the deformation. The advantage of this assumption is that the problem reduces to a single singular integral equation which by transformations can be simplified to an integral equation involving the standard finite Hilbert transform. Here we consider the more general displacement boundary value problem within the contact region, and to be specific we examine the problem with zero vertical circumferential displacement and prescribed horizontal circumferential displacement. The solution of this problem involves two coupled singular integral equations for the horizontal and vertical pressure distributions. Basic equations and some approximate analytical solutions are obtained for symmetrical contact of circular elastic cylinders by both parallel plates and circular cylinders which are either rigid or elastic. Numerical results for the approximate analytical solutions are given for contact by rigid parallel plates and rigid circular cylinders.     

Clustering instability in adhesive contact between elastic solids via diffusive molecular bonds

Motivated by experimental observations that cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion often involves formation of discrete patches of dense molecular bonds, we consider the plane strain problem of two elastic half-spaces, each covered with a layer of lipid membrane, joined together by mobile molecular bonds that diffuse along the interface under the combined action of a thin layer of glycocalyx repellers and an externally applied tensile stress. We show that, for a range of bond density values with or without the applied stress, the state of a uniform distribution of bonds is intrinsically unstable with respect to perturbations in bond density distribution. This instability is found to be primarily driven by elastic deformation energies in the bulk and the membrane. The change in free energy associated with a cosine perturbation in bond density distribution indicates that there exists a critical wavelength beyond which the perturbation becomes unstable and a fastest growing wavelength that tends to dominate as the instability grows. These length scales have typical values in the order of a micrometer, in agreement with the general characteristic size of bond clusters observed in cell adhesion.     

Mechanics of adhesive contact on a power-law graded elastic half-space

We consider adhesive contact between a rigid sphere of radius R and a graded elastic half-space with Young's modulus varying with depth according to a power law E=E₀(z/c₀)^k (0<k<1) while Poisson's ratio ν remaining a constant. Closed-form analytical solutions are established for the critical force, the critical radius of contact area and the critical interfacial stress at pull-off. We highlight that the pull-off force has a simple solution of P_cr=−(k+3)πRΔγ/2 where Δγ is the work of adhesion and make further discussions with respect to three interesting limits: the classical JKR solution when k=0, the Gibson solid when k→1 and ν=0.5, and the strength limit in which the interfacial stress reaches the theoretical strength of adhesion at pull-off.     

Mechanics of non-slipping adhesive contact on a power-law graded elastic half-space

In previous work about axisymmetric adhesive contact on power-law graded elastic materials, the contact interface was often assumed to be frictionless, which is, however, not always the case in practical applications. In order to elucidate the effect of friction and the coupling between normal and tangential deformations, in the present paper, the problem of a rigid punch with a parabolic shape in non-slipping adhesive contact with a power-law graded half-space is studied analytically via singular integral equation method. A series of closed-form analytical solutions, which include the frictionless and homogeneous solutions as special cases, are obtained. Our results show that, compared with the frictionless case, the interfacial friction tends to reduce the contact area and the indentation depth during adhesion. The magnitude of the coupling effect depends on both the Poisson ratio and the gradient exponent of the half-space. This effect vanishes for homogeneous incompressible as well as for linearly graded materials but becomes significant for auxetic materials with negative Poisson’s ratio. Furthermore, influence of mode mixity on the adhesive behavior of power-law graded materials, which was seldom touched in literature, is discussed in details.     

Adhesion between elastic cylinders based on the double-Hertz model

A cohesive zone model for two-dimensional adhesive contact between elastic cylinders is developed by extending the double-Hertz model of Greenwood and Johnson (1998). In this model, the adhesive force within the cohesive zone is described by the difference between two Hertzian pressure distributions of different contact widths. Closed-form analytical solutions are obtained for the interfacial traction, deformation field and the equilibrium relation among applied load, contact half-width and the size of cohesive zone. Based on these results, a complete transition between the JKR and the Hertz type contact models is captured by defining a dimensionless transition parameter μ, which governs the range of applicability of different models. The proposed model and the corresponding analytical results can serve as an alternative cohesive zone solution to the two-dimensional adhesive cylindrical contact.     

Frictionless contact between an elastic stamp and an elastic foundation

Summary Starting from the statical and kinematical basic equations and inequalities resp. we derive a (material independent) mixed principle of virtual work which includes the rigid body displacements of the stamp, the contact pressure and the surface displacements of the contacting bodies. For an elastic material a saddle functional of the Hellinger-Reißner type occurs from which complementary extremum principles are generated. Especially the force principle is well suited for the discretization of the originally continuous contact problem and is therefore used as a basis for the numerical realization as a mathematical optimization problem. As examples we consider rigid stamps (rectangle, sphere, cone) on a layered halfspace and a rectangular plate on an elastic halfspace. The modification for a beam on a nonlinear Winkler foundation is also discussed.

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Reibungsfreier Kontakt zwischen einem elastischen Körper und einer elastischen Unterlage

Übersicht Ausgehend von den statischen und kinematischen Grundgleichungen und Ungleichungen wird ein (materialunabhängiges) gemischtes Prinzip der virtuellen Arbeiten hergeleitet, das die Starrkörperverschiebungen des Stempels, den Kontaktdruck und die Oberflächenverschiebungen der sich beröhrenden Körper enthält. Für elastisches Material läßt sich ein Sattelfunktional vom Hellinger-Reißner-Typ angeben, aus dem komplementäre Extremumsprinzipien erzeugt werden. Insbesondere ist das Kraftprinzip für eine Diskretisierung gut geeignet und wird daher für die numerische Lösung als mathematisches Optimierungsproblem verwendet. Als Beispiele dienen starre Stempel (Würfel, Kugel, Kegel) auf einem geschichteten Halbraum, eine Rechteckplatte auf einem elastischen Halbraum sowie ein Balken auf einer nichtlinearen Winkler-Bettung.

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. phil. Dr.-Ing. E. h. U. Wegner on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

Adhesive elastic contact between a symmetric indenter and an elastic film

This paper examines the frictionless adhesive elastic contact problem of a rigid sphere indenting a thin film deposited on a substrate. The result is then used to model the elastic phase of micro-nanoscale indentation tests performed to determine the mechanical properties of coatings and films. We investigate the elastic response including the effects of adhesion, which, as the scale decreases to the nano level, become an important issue. In this paper, we extend the Johnson–Kendall–Roberts, Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov, and Maugis–Dugdale half-space adhesion models to the case of a finite thickness elastic film coated on an elastic substrate. We propose a simplified model based on the assumption that the pressure distribution is that of the corresponding half-space models; in doing so, we investigate the contact radius/film thickness ratio in a range where it is usually assumed the half-space model. We obtain an analytical solution for the elastic response that is useful for evaluating the effects of the film-thickness, the interface film–substrate conditions, and the adhesion forces. This study provides a guideline for selecting the appropriate film thickness and substrate to determine the elastic constants of film in the indentation tests.     

Loss of contact between an elastic layer and half-space

The plane problem of smooth contact between an elastic layer and a half-space is analyzed. The layer is pressed against the half-space by a uniform load applied over its entire surface except for one region of finite length. The solution is given as the sum of solutions to two plane problems, one of which is known a priori. The analysis of the other problem leads to an inhomogeneous Fredholm integral equation for an auxiliary function that is related to the contact pressure. The boundedness of the contact stress at the end of the contact is used to determine the region of separation. The integral equation is solved numerically and the relevant physical quantities are computed and presented in the form of curves.

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Résumé On analyse le problème du contact glissant entre une couche élastique et un demi-espace. La couche est pressée sur le demi-espace par une charge uniforme appliquée à sa surface entière, à l'exception d'une région de longueur finie. La solution est donnée comme une somme des solutions de deux problèmes plans, dont l'une est connue à priori. L'analyse de l'autre est amené à une équation intégrale non-homogène de Fredholm pour une fonction auxiliaire qui dépend de la pression de contact. Le fait que la pression du contact ne peu pas être infinie aux extrémités du contact est utilisé pour déterminer la région de séparation. L'équation intégrale est résolue de façon numérique et les quantités physiques importantes sont calculées et présentées en forme des courbes.

     

Unilateral contact between a plate and an elastic foundation

Summary The unilateral frictionless contact between a plate and an elastic subgrade is examined. The foundation is modeled as an elastic half-space or as a Winkler subgrade. The variational formulations more convenient to get approximate solutions are presented. Furthermore the results of a numerical investigation relative to an axisymmetric circular plate are given.

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Sommario Si analizza il problema di contatto unilaterale senza attrito tra una piastra e una fondazione elastica. Per la fondazione si esaminano i modelli di semispazio elastico e di suolo alla Winkler.Vengono presentate le formulazioni variazionali più convenienti ai fini dell'approssimazione delle soluzioni col metodo degli elementi finiti e si illustrano alcuni risultati di un'indagine numerica per il caso di piastra circolare con carico assialsimmetrico.

     

弹性层间的单退让接触问题

本文基于所有接触面间光滑的假设,研究同时受压的两弹性层间的单退让平面接触问题. 利用Fourier变换把平面弹性方程转化为奇异积分方程. 然后利用Gauss-Chebyshev求积公式和迭代法求其数值解.最后给出了数值算例,分析了剪切模量与上层接触半径对退让半径和接触应力的影响.     

Inverse spectral problems for inhomogeneous elastic cylinders

The goal of the paper is to formulate the inverse spectral problems for a determination of elastic moduli and to develop a method of their solution. These types of problems always arise when one tries to determine moduli in inhomogeneous materials using spectral data which are received from an experiment of excitation of free oscillations. Our treatment of the problems is within the framework of linear elasticity and is based on the Levitan and Marchenko's theory of Sturm-Liouville inverse problems.     

Torsion in nonlinearly elastic incompressible circular cylinders

We consider a variable torsion deformation for incompressible right-circular cylinders and investigate the possibility of equilibrium states other than simple torsion in isotropic hyperelasticity. Our problem formulation also provides generalized versions of Rivlin's universal relations in torsion. In this more general setting, it is shown that simple torsion persists as the only solution for large classes of strain energies. When one allows for more general boundary conditions, variable torsion solutions are possible for special forms of the stored energy function. We derive such a form and develop general results.     

Elastic beam in adhesive contact

Dynamic and quasistatic processes of contact with adhesion between an elastic or viscoelastic beam and a foundation are considered. The contact is modeled with the Signorini condition when the foundation is rigid, and with normal compliance when it is deformable. The adhesion is modeled by introducing the bonding function β, the evolution of which is described by an ordinary differential equation. The existence and uniqueness of the weak solution for each of the problems is established using the theory of variational inequalities, fixed point arguments and the existence and uniqueness result in Commun. Contemp. Math. 1(1) (1999) 87–123. The numerical approximations of the quasistatic problem with normal compliance are considered, based on semi-discrete and fully discrete schemes. The convergence of the solutions of the discretized schemes is proved and error estimates for these approximate solutions are derived.     

Unbonded contact between a circular plate and an elastic half-space

The paper concerns the unbonded contact between a thin circular plate of finite radius, governed by Kirchhof or Reissner theory, pressed by means of rotationally symmetric distributed load and its own weight against the surface of an elastic half-space. The contact is assumed frictionless and unbonded. A Hankel transform solution is used for the half-space and the plate deflection is found by inverting the plate equation. The coefficients in a power expansion are obtained by equating plate and half-space deflections at a number of points in the contact region. The variation of contact radius with plate radius, the radius of the uniformly applied load, and the relative stiffness of plate and foundation, is displayed in a series of figures.     

Bending and flexure of cylindrically monoclinic elastic cylinders

We consider a circular cylinder of linearly elastic material with cylindrically monoclinic material symmetry. This represents a model for a helically wound composite cable or wire rope. The elastic moduli are allowed to be arbitrary functions of the radius r. The cylinder undergoes deformation in which the axis of the cylinder is bent into a plane quartic curve. For the resulting stress field, we obtain exact integrals of the equilibrium equations, and derive simplified expressions for the shear stress resultants and bending moments.