Abstract
THEORETICAL analyses of the influence of surface roughness on the adhesion of elastic solids1,2 suggest that the introduction of roughness should reduce the adhesion to an extent governed by an adhesion parameter 
where α is the distribution of asperity heights (assumed to be Gaussian), β the mean radius of curvature of the asperities and γ is the net change in surface energy per unit area on the formation of adhesive contact. Experiment2 bears out the theory. Here we report experiments on rolling, when we found α again to be a useful parameter. At low roughnesses, however, we found a surprising new result, that the adhesion could be greater than for smooth surfaces, and we propose an explanation for this.
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References
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BRIGGS, G., BRISCOE, B. Effect of surface roughness on rolling friction and adhesion between elastic solids. Nature 260, 313–315 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260313a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/260313a0
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