A Model of Adhesive Contact between a Spherical Tip and a Flat Surface

Abstract

There have been increasing research interests in the measurement of the mechanical properties of nanoscale materials by pressing a spherical tip into surfaces of the tested materials. To acquire a better understanding of this process, a model of adhesive contact between a spherical tip and a flat surface is developed by employing the Hamaker hypotheses and molecular dynamics (MD) method. With this model, the deformation characteristics of the tested surface are illustrated by the key snapshots of the deformed surface and the corresponding curves of pressure distribution. The results indicate that the contact can be formed before the tip impresses into the surface. Moreover, the variation of the adhesive force with the distance is recorded during the approach and separation processes, and the adhesion hysteresis is demonstrated by the force-distance curve. Additionally, the stepwise increase of the contact radius with a decrease in the distance is revealed and investigated.