Statistical properties of defect-dependent detachment strength in bioinspired dry adhesives.

ABSTRACT: Dry adhesives using surface microstructures inspired by climbing animals have been recognized for their potentially novel capabilities, with relevance to a range of applications including pick-and-place handling. Past work has suggested that performance may be strongly dependent on variability in the critical defect size among fibrillar sub-contacts. However, it has not been directly verified that the resulting adhesive strength distribution is well described by the statistical theory of fracture used. Using in situ contact visualization, we characterize adhesive strength on a fibril-by-fibril basis for a synthetic fibrillar adhesive. Two distinct detachment mechanisms are observed. The fundamental, design-dependent mechanism involves defect propagation from within the contact. The seconda

SUBMITTER: Booth JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6685035 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature