Adhesion curves between two viscoelastic materials by a point‐contact method in a crossed‐cylinder geometry

We investigated an evaluation method of adhesion between two cylindrical viscoelastic materials by a point contact in a crossed‐cylinder geometry. The shape of the adhesion curve obtained in this technique is characterized not only by the maximum adhesion force, F_A, but also by the adhesion force at complete separation, F_S. To clarify the factors that determine the characteristic properties of the adhesion curve, the adhesion forces of a highly crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane were measured as a function of the separation velocity. As a result, F_A and F_S strongly depended on the separation velocity. To understand the experimental results, a simulation of the separation behavior was carried out using the Generalized Maxwell model, which could qualitatively reproduce the experimental observations. From these results, we discussed the factors that determine the adhesion curve and clarified the uniqueness and advantages of this evaluation method. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1778–1788, 2009