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 between mismatched elastic cylinders

We have recently proposed a generalized JKR model for non-slipping adhesive contact between two elastic spheres subjected to a pair of pulling forces and a mismatch strain (Chen, S., Gao, H., 2006c. Non-slipping adhesive contact between mismatched elastic spheres: a model of adhesion mediated deformation sensor. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 54, 1548–1567). Here we extend this model to adhesion between two mismatched elastic cylinders. The attention is focused on how the mismatch strain affects the contact area and the pull-off force. It is found that there exists a critical mismatch strain at which the contact spontaneously dissociates. The analysis suggests possible mechanisms by which mechanical deformation can affect binding between cells and molecules in biology.     

Modeling of friction at different scale levels

We construct a model for studying the common influence of the imperfect elasticity of actual bodies, the microgeometry of their surfaces, and their adhesive interaction on the contact characteristics (the contact pressure distribution, the region of actual contact) and on the sliding friction force. The model is based on the solution of a plane contact problem of sliding of a rigid body with a regular relief on the boundary of a viscoelastic foundation with surface molecular attraction in the gap between the surfaces taken into account. We analyze the influence of the surface microgeometry parameters at different scale levels on the character of the surface interaction (the saturated or discrete contact) and the friction force for different sliding velocities of the contacting bodies.     

超高真空下过渡金属Nb与Nb、Ta、Ti、W相互间粘附特性的试验研究

本文在超高真空(10~(-7)Pa)条件下量测了Nb-Nb(110)、Nb-Ta(110)、Nb-W(110)及Nb-Ti4个粘附对的粘附力,并从接触表面形貌的角度求得了真实接触面积,进而得到了各粘附对间的粘附强度,结果与采用简单紧束缚自洽矩方法计算所得理论结果一致。研究表明,超高真空下过渡金属间存在一种相互作用——由两金属间共用电子引起的化学键,而且主要由其外层d电子态密度所决定。过渡金属Nb与Nb、Ta、W、Ti之间粘附强度的实测值介于每对原子0.2～2.0eV之间。当样品受热升温后,由于C、N、B、S等少量非金属杂质的表面偏析致使粘附强度明显降低。     

Phenomenological constitutive model for a CNT turf

Carbon nanotubes (CNT), grown on a substrate, form a turf – a complex structure of intertwined, mostly nominally vertical tubes, cross-linked by adhesive contact and few bracing tubes. The turfs are compliant and good thermal and electrical conductors. In this paper, we consider the micromechanical analysis of the turf deformation reported earlier, and develop a phenomenological constitutive model of the turf. We benchmark the developed model using a finite element implementation and compare the model predictions to the results two different nanoindentation tests.The model includes: nonlinear elastic deformation, small Kelvin–Voigt type relaxation, caused by the thermally activated sliding of contacts, and adhesive contact between the turf and the indenter. The pre-existing (locked-in) strain energy of bent nanotubes produces a high initial tangent modulus, followed by an order of magnitude decrease in the tangent modulus with increasing deformation. The strong adhesion between the turf and indenter tip is due to the van der Waals interactions.The finite element simulations capture the results from the nanoindentation experiments, including the loading, unloading, viscoelastic relaxation during hold, and adhesive pull-off.     

Linear viscoelastic properties of emulsions and suspensions with thermodynamic and hydrodynamic interactions

We present a new approach to describe the rheological properties of dispersions with non-hydrodynamic interactions (steric, electrostatic and Van der Waals interactions) in the linear viscoelastic domain. Our model is based on the calculation of additional stresses resulting from interaction potentials between spheres and Brownian motion. We start from the statistical mechanical approaches which have been developed by Batchelor and Green and later Lionberger and Russel, to model the viscoelastic properties of emulsions and suspensions. We have extended their calculations to the more general case of viscoelastic deformable inclusions in a viscoelastic matrix. Our contribution lies in the computation of the hydrodynamic functions involved in the term describing interaction stresses. This computation is based on Palierne's results on the deformation field around a viscoelastic inclusion embedded in a viscoelastic matrix. We have also rewritten the conservation equation in the case of interest, over the whole frequency domain. We finally express the complex shear modulus of the dispersion as the sum of two terms : Palierne's complex shear modulus gives the purely hydrodynamic contribution; the interaction contribution depends on both the hydrodynamic properties and the interaction potential.     

Orientation-dependent adhesion strength of a rigid cylinder in non-slipping contact with a transversely isotropic half-space

Recently, Chen and Gao [Chen, S., Gao, H., 2007. Bio-inspired mechanics of reversible adhesion: orientation-dependent adhesion strength for non-slipping adhesive contact with transversely isotropic elastic materials. J. Mech. Phys. solids 55, 1001–1015] studied the problem of a rigid cylinder in non-slipping adhesive contact with a transversely isotropic solid subjected to an inclined pulling force. An implicit assumption made in their study was that the contact region remains symmetric with respect to the center of the cylinder. This assumption is, however, not self-consistent because the resulting energy release rates at two contact edges, which are supposed to be identical, actually differ from each other. Here we revisit the original problem of Chen and Gao and derive the correct solution by removing this problematic assumption. The corrected solution provides a proper insight into the concept of orientation-dependent adhesion strength in anisotropic elastic solids.     

Sliding of two smooth indenters on a viscoelastic foundation in the presence of friction

The axisymmetric contact problem of sliding of two solid parabolic indenters on a viscoelastic half-space with constant velocity is considered. Shear stresses modeling the adhesive component of the friction force act in the contact area. The model of the foundation material is described by an integral operator with an exponential kernel characterized by one relaxation time. The problem is solved by the boundary element method. The dependences of the contact characteristics on the sliding velocity, the normal load, and the distance between the centers of the indenters is analyzed. The results can be used to study the effect of the roughness elements modeled by two indenters on the contact characteristics and the deformation component of the friction force.     

A theoretical model of collision between soft-spheres with Hertz elastic loading and nonlinear plastic unloading

This paper presents a theoretical model on the normal (head-on) collision between soft-spheres on the basis of elastic loading of the Hertz contact for compression process and a nonlinear plastic unloading for restitution one, in which the parameters all are determined in terms of the material and geometric ones of the spheres, and the behaviors of perfect elastic, inelastic, and perfect plastic collisions appeared in the classical mechanics are fully described once a value of coefficient of restitution is specified in the region of 0 ≤ ε ≤ 1. After an empirical formula of the coefficient of restitution dependent on the impact velocity is suggested to fit the existing experimental measurements by means of the least square method, the predictions of the dependency and the collision duration are in well quantitative agreement with their experimental measurements. It is found that the measurable quantities are dependent on both the impact velocity and the parameters of spheres. Following this model, finally, an approach to determine the spring coefficient in the linear viscoelastic model of the collision is also displayed. These results obtained here will be significantly beneficial for the applications where a collision model is requested in the simulations of relevant grain flows and impact dynamics etc..     

Peeling behavior of a viscoelastic thin-film on a rigid substrate

In order to study the adhesion mechanism of a viscoelastic thin-film on a substrate, peeling experiment of a viscoelastic polyvinylchloride (PVC) thin-film on a rigid substrate (glass) is carried out. The effects of peeling rate, peeling angle, film thickness, surface roughness and the interfacial adhesive on the peel-off force are considered. It is found that both the viscoelastic properties of the film and the interfacial adhesive contribute to the rate-dependent peel-off force. For a fixed peeling rate, the peel-off force decreases with the increasing peeling angle. Increasing film thickness or substrate roughness leads to an increase of the peel-off force. Viscoelastic energy release rate in the present experiment can be further predicted by adopting a recently published theoretical model. It is shown that the energy release rate increases with the increase of peeling rates or peeling angles. The results in the present paper should be helpful for understanding the adhesion mechanism of a viscoelastic thin-film.     

New bounds and estimates for porous media with rigid perfectly plastic matrixNouvelles bornes et estimations pour les milieux poreux à matrice rigide parfaitement plastique

We derive new rigorous bounds and self-consistent estimates for the effective yield surface of porous media with a rigid perfectly plastic matrix and a microstructure similar to Hashin's composite spheres assemblage. These results arise from a homogenisation technique that combines a pattern-based modelling for linear composite materials and a variational formulation for nonlinear media. To cite this article: N. Bilger et al., C. R. Mecanique 330 (2002) 127–132.     

Anomalous rolling of spheres down an inclined plane

A sphere in air will roll down a plane that is tilted away from the vertical. The only couple acting about the point of contact between the sphere and the plane is due to the component of the weight of the sphere along the plane, provided that air friction is negligible. If on the other hand the sphere is immersed in a liquid, hydrodynamic forces will enter into the couples that turn the sphere, and the rotation of the sphere can be anomalous, i.e., as if rolling up the plane while it falls. In this paper we shall show that anomalous rolling is a characteristic phenomenon that can be observed in every viscoelastic liquid tested so far. Anomalous rolling is normal for hydrodynamically levitated spheres, both in Newtonian and viscoelastic liquids. Normal and anomalous rolling are different names for dry and hydrodynamic rolling. Spheres dropped at a vertical wall in Newtonian liquids are forced into anomalous rotation and are pushed away from the wall while in viscoelastic liquids, they are forced into anomalous rotation, but are pushed toward the wall. If the wall is inclined and the fluid is Newtonian, the spheres will rotate normally for dry rolling, but the same spheres rotate anomalously in viscoelastic liquids when the angle of inclination from the vertical is less than some critical value. The hydrodynamic mechanisms underway in the settling of circular particles in a Newtonian fluid at a vertical wall are revealed by an exact numerical simulation based on a finite-element solution of the Navier-Stokes equations and Newton's equations of motion for a rigid body.     

Tensorial generalized Stokes–Einstein relation for anisotropic probe microrheology

In thermal “passive” microrheology, the random Brownian motion of anisotropically shaped probe particles embedded within an isotropic viscoelastic material can be used to extract the material’s frequency-dependent linear viscoelastic modulus. We unite the existing theoretical frameworks for separately treating translational and rotational probe motion in a viscoelastic material by extending the generalized Stokes–Einstein relation (GSER) into a tensorial form that reflects simultaneous equilibrium translational and rotational fluctuations of one or more anisotropic probe particles experiencing viscoelastic drag. The tensorial GSER provides a formal basis for interpreting the complex Brownian motion of anisotropic probes in a viscoelastic material. Based on known hydrodynamic calculations of the Stokes mobility of highly symmetric shapes in a simple viscous liquid, we show simple examples of the tensorial GSER for spheroids and half-stick, half-slip Janus spheres.     

Sliding of a spherical indenter on a viscoelastic foundation with the forces of molecular attraction taken into account

The problem of sliding of a spherical indenter on a viscoelastic foundation is solved in a quasistatic formulation taking account the forces of adhesive attraction which are considered different at the entrance to and exit from the contact region due to changes in the surface properties during the interaction. It is found that the contact characteristics and the frictional force due to the imperfect elasticity of the foundation depend on the surface and bulk properties of the materials of the interacting bodies and the interaction conditions (load, velocity, etc.).     

Conformal contact between layered foundations and punches

We study the contact interaction between rigid punches and viscoelastic foundations with thin coatings for the cases in which the punch and coating surfaces are conformal (mutually repeating). Such problems can arise, for example, when the punch immerses into a solidificating coating before its complete solidification; as a result, the surface takes the shape of the punch base. Examples of such coatings can be a layer of glue, concrete at its young age, many polymeric materials. We consider plane contact problems for inhomogeneous aging viscoelastic basements in the case of their conformal contact with rigid punches. We present the statements of the problems and derive their basic mixed integral equation. The solution of this equation is constructed by using the generalized projection method. We present numerical computations of model problems, including the problem in which the shape of the punch base is described by a rapidly oscillating function.     

Analysis of viscoelastic contact with normal compliance,friction and wear diffusionAnalyse d'un problème viscoélastique avec compliance normale,frottement et diffusion d'usure

We consider a quasistatic problem of frictional contact between a viscoelastic body and a moving foundation. The contact is with wear and is modeled by normal compliance and a law of dry friction. The novelty in the model is that it allows for the diffusion of the wear debris over the potential contact surface. Such kind of phenomena arise in orthopaedic biomechanics and influence the properties of joint prosthesis. We derive a weak formulation of the problem and state that, under a smallness assumption on the problem data, there exists a unique weak solution for the model. To cite this article: M. Shillor et al., C. R. Mecanique 331 (2003).     

A concurrent micromechanical model for predicting nonlinear viscoelastic responses of composites reinforced with solid spherical particles

A concurrent micromechanical model for predicting nonlinear viscoelastic responses of particle reinforced polymers is developed. Particles are in the form of solid spheres having micro-scale diameters. The composite microstructures are idealized by periodically distributed cubic particles in a matrix medium. Each particle is assumed to be fully surrounded by polymeric matrix such that contact between particles can be avoided. A representative volume element (RVE) is then defined by a single particle embedded in the cubic matrix. A spatial periodicity boundary condition is imposed to the RVE. One eighth unit-cell model with four particle and polymer subcells is generated due to the three-plane symmetry of the RVE. The solid spherical particle is modeled as a linear elastic material. The polymeric matrix follows nonlinear viscoelastic behaviors of thermorheologically simple materials. The homogenized micromechanical relation is developed in terms of the average strains and stresses in the subcells and traction continuity and displacement compatibility at the subcells’ interfaces are imposed. A stress–strain correction scheme is also formulated to satisfy the linearized micromechanical and the nonlinear constitutive relations. The micromechanical model provides three-dimensional (3D) effective properties of homogeneous composite responses, while recognizing microstructural geometries and in situ material properties of the heterogeneous medium. The micromechanical formulation is designed to be compatible with general displacement based finite element (FE) analyses. Experimental data and analytical micromechanical models available in the literature are used to verify the capability of the above micromechanical model for predicting the overall composite behaviors. The proposed micromodel is also examined in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy.     

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.