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Size-Dependent Adhesion Strength of a Single Viscoelastic Fiber

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Abstract

Nano-fibrillar adhesives can adhere strongly to surfaces as a gecko does. The size of each fiber has significant effects on the adhesion enhancement, especially on rough surfaces. In the present study, we report the size effects on the normal and shear strength of adhesion for a single viscoelastic fiber. It is found that there exists a limited region of the critical sizes under which the interfacial normal or tangential tractions uniformly attain the theoretical adhesion strength. The region for a viscoelastic fiber under tension with similar material constants to a gecko’s spatula is 135–255 nm and that under torque is 26.5–52 nm. This finding is significant for the development of artificial biomimetic attachment systems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the National Science Foundation (10972220, 10732050, and 10721202), KJCX2-YW-M04 of CAS Innovation Program and Start Fund for Returning Overseas person.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LNM, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China

    Shaohua Chen & Guang Xu

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Aikah Soh

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  1. Shaohua Chen
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  2. Guang Xu
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  3. Aikah Soh
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Correspondence to Shaohua Chen.

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Chen, S., Xu, G. & Soh, A. Size-Dependent Adhesion Strength of a Single Viscoelastic Fiber. Tribol Lett 37, 375–379 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-009-9532-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-009-9532-5

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