Adhesion Transition of Flexible Sheets

TL;DR

This paper models the adhesion transition of flexible sheets due to intermolecular forces, revealing phase transitions influenced by bending stiffness and interaction potential, with complex behaviors emerging in multi-sheet interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical model for dry adhesion between flexible sheets, highlighting the role of a dimensionless bending parameter and potential form in adhesion phase transitions.

Findings

Adhesion transitions depend on a dimensionless bending parameter.

The order and hysteresis of transitions are influenced by interaction potential.

Multi-sheet interactions lead to hierarchical or sequential adhesion behaviors.

Abstract

Intermolecular forces are known to precipitate adhesion events between solid bodies. Inspired by a macro-scale experiment showing the hysteretic adhesion of a piece of flexible tape over a plastic substrate, we develop here a model of far-field dry adhesion between two flexible sheets interacting via a power-law potential. We show that phase transitions from unadhered to adhered states occur as dictated by a dimensionless bending parameter representing the ratio of interaction strength to bending stiffness. The order of the adhesion transitions, as well as their hysteretic nature, is shown to depend on the form of the interaction potential between the flexible sheets. When three or more sheets interact, additional geometrical considerations determine the hierarchical or sequential nature of the adhesion transitions.