Showing papers on "Contact area published in 2015"

Macroscale superlubricity enabled by graphene nanoscroll formation

Abstract: Friction and wear remain as the primary modes of mechanical energy dissipation in moving mechanical assemblies; thus, it is desirable to minimize friction in a number of applications. We demonstrate that superlubricity can be realized at engineering scale when graphene is used in combination with nanodiamond particles and diamondlike carbon (DLC). Macroscopic superlubricity originates because graphene patches at a sliding interface wrap around nanodiamonds to form nanoscrolls with reduced contact area that slide against the DLC surface, achieving an incommensurate contact and substantially reduced coefficient of friction (~0.004). Atomistic simulations elucidate the overall mechanism and mesoscopic link bridging the nanoscale mechanics and macroscopic experimental observations.

Highly Stretchable and Sensitive Strain Sensors Using Fragmentized Graphene Foam

Abstract: Stretchable electronics have recently been extensively investigated for the development of highly advanced human-interactive devices. Here, a highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensor is fabricated based on the composite of fragmentized graphene foam (FGF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). A graphene foam (GF) is disintegrated into 200–300 μm sized fragments while maintaining its 3D structure by using a vortex mixer, forming a percolation network of the FGFs. The strain sensor shows high sensitivity with a gauge factor of 15 to 29, which is much higher compared to the GF/PDMS strain sensor with a gauge factor of 2.2. It is attributed to the great change in the contact resistance between FGFs over the large contact area, when stretched. In addition to the high sensitivity, the FGF/PDMS strain sensor exhibits high stretchability over 70% and high durability over 10 000 stretching-releasing cycles. When the sensor is attached to the human body, it functions as a health-monitoring device by detecting various human motions such as the bending of elbows and fingers in addition to the pulse of radial artery. Finally, by using the FGF, PDMS, and μ-LEDs, a stretchable touch sensor array is fabricated, thus demonstrating its potential application as an artificial skin.

Kinetics of Low-Salinity-Flooding Effect

Abstract: Low-salinity waterflooding (LSF) is one of the least-understood enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR)/improved-oil-recovery (IOR) methods, and proper understanding of the mechanism(s) leading to oil recovery in this process is needed. However, the intrinsic complexity of the process makes fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanism(s) and the interpretation of laboratory experiments difficult. Therefore, we use a model system for sandstone rock of reduced complexity that consists of clay minerals (Na-montmorillonite) deposited on a glass substrate and covered with crude-oil droplets and in which different effects can be separated to increase our fundamental understanding. We focus particularly on the kinetics of oil detachment when exposed to lowsalinity (LS) brine. The system is equilibrated first under high-salinity (HS) brine and then exposed to brines of varying (lower) salinity while the shape of the oil droplets is continuously monitored at high resolution, allowing for a detailed analysis of the contact angle and the contact area as a function of time. It is observed that the contact angle and contact area of oil with the substrate reach a stable equilibrium at HS brine and show a clear response to the LS brine toward less-oil-wetting conditions and ultimately detachment from the clay substrate. This behavior is characterized by the motion of the three-phase (oil/water/solid) contact line that is initially pinned by clay particles at HS conditions, and pinning decreases upon exposure to LS brine. This leads to a decrease in contact area and contact angle that indicates wettability alteration toward a more-waterwet state. When the contact angle reaches a critical value at approximately 40 to 50 , oil starts to detach from the clay. During detachment, most of the oil is released, but in some cases a small amount of oil residue is left behind on the clay substrate. Our results for different salinity levels indicate that the kinetics of this wettability change correlates with a simple buoyancyover adhesion-force balance and has a time constant of hours to days (i.e., it takes longer than commonly assumed). The unexpectedly long time constant, longer than expected by diffusion alone, is compatible with an electrokinetic ion-transport model (Nernst-Planck equation) in the thin water film between oil and clay. Alternatively, one could explain the observations only by more-specific [nonDerjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) type] interactions between oil and clay such as cation-bridging, direct chemical bonds, or acid/base effects that tend to pin the contact line. The findings provide new insights into the (sub) pore-scale mechanism of LSF, and one can use them as the basis for upscaling to, for example, pore-network scale and higher scales (e.g., core scale) to assess the impact of the slow kinetics on the time scale of an LSF response on macroscopic scales.

Evaporation of sessile drops: a three-dimensional approach

Abstract: The evaporation of non-axisymmetric sessile drops is studied by means of experiments and three-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS). The emergence of azimuthal currents and pairs of counter-rotating vortices in the liquid bulk flow is reported in drops with non-circular contact area. These phenomena, especially the latter, which is also observed experimentally, are found to play a critical role in the transient flow dynamics and associated heat transfer. Non-circular drops exhibit variable wettability along the pinned contact line sensitive to the choice of system parameters, and inversely dependent on the local contact-line curvature, providing a simple criterion for estimating the approximate contact-angle distribution. The evaporation rate is found to vary in the same order of magnitude as the liquid–gas interfacial area. Furthermore, the more complex case of drops evaporating with a moving contact line (MCL) in the constant contact-angle mode is addressed. Interestingly, the numerical results demonstrate that the average interface temperature remains essentially constant as the drop evaporates in the constant-angle (CA) mode, while this increases in the constant-radius (CR) mode as the drops become thinner. It is therefore concluded that, for increasing substrate heating, the evaporation rate increases more rapidly in the CR mode than in the CA mode. In other words, the higher the temperature the larger the difference between the lifetimes of an evaporating drop in the CA mode with respect to that evaporating in the CR mode.

Laser surface patterning to enhance adhesion of plasma sprayed coatings

Abstract: In thermal spraying, adhesive bond strength is a feature of surface properties. An adapted surface is studied with prior-surface treatments to enhance interface energy. This study deals with Ni–Al coatings on 2017 aluminum alloy substrate produced by atmospheric plasma spraying. The adherence was evaluated with several controlled surface topographies obtained by grit-blasting and laser surface texturing technique. Adherence has been tested with two different techniques: pull-off test and LASer Adhesion Test. They induce different stresses at the interface. The results showed that the adhesive strength is mostly controlled by a contact adhesion area. A large contact area increases the energy release rate at the interface during coating failures. The bond strength tendency for the two adherence tests is similar: apparent adherence is tripled thanks to laser surface patterning. Fracture propagation is stopped nearby laser-induced holes due to the complex shape and has to deviate inside the coating to maintain crack propagation (inter-splat cracks). The energy at the interfaces being stored locally due to pattern: pattern morphology, pattern localization and powder feed rate are important factors that control the adhesion strength of the thermally sprayed coatings.

Grasping without squeezing: Shear adhesion gripper with fibrillar thin film

Abstract: Nearly all robotic grippers have one trait in common: they grasp objects with normal forces, either directly, or indirectly through friction. This method of grasping is effective for objects small enough for a given gripper to partially encompass. However, to grasp larger objects, significant grip forces and a high coefficient of friction are required. We present a new grasping method for convex objects, using almost exclusively shear forces. We achieve shear grasping with a gripper that utilizes thin film gecko-inspired fibrillar adhesives that conform to the curvature of the object. We present a verified model for grasping a range of curvatures and results that demonstrate the thin film fibrillar adhesives' increased contact area on textured surfaces when loaded in shear. Finally, the gripper is implemented on a robotic arm and grasps a variety of convex objects (at rest and ballistic).

Dynamics of Atomic Stick-Slip Friction Examined with Atomic Force Microscopy and Atomistic Simulations at Overlapping Speeds

Abstract: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and atomistic simulations of atomic friction with silicon oxide tips sliding on Au(111) are conducted at overlapping speeds. Experimental data unambiguously reveal a stick-slip friction plateau above a critical scanning speed, in agreement with the thermally activated Prandtl-Tomlinson (PTT) model. However, friction in experiments is larger than in simulations. PTT energetic parameters for the two are comparable, with minor differences attributable to the contact area's influence on the barrier to slip. Recognizing that the attempt frequency may be determined by thermal vibrations of the larger AFM tip mass or instrument noise fully resolves the discrepancy. Thus, atomic stick-slip is well described by the PTT model if sources of slip-assisting energy are accounted for.

Nano-rheology of hydrogels using direct drive force modulation atomic force microscopy

Abstract: We present a magnetic force-based direct drive modulation method to measure local nano-rheological properties of soft materials across a broad frequency range (10 Hz to 2 kHz) using colloid-attached atomic force microscope (AFM) probes in liquid. The direct drive method enables artefact-free measurements over several decades of excitation frequency, and avoids the need to evaluate medium-induced hydrodynamic drag effects. The method was applied to measure the local mechanical properties of polyacrylamide hydrogels. The frequency-dependent storage stiffness, loss stiffness, and loss tangent (tan δ) were quantified for hydrogels having high and low crosslinking densities by measuring the amplitude and the phase response of the cantilever while the colloid was in contact with the hydrogel. The frequency bandwidth was further expanded to lower effective frequencies (0.1 Hz to 10 Hz) by obtaining force–displacement (FD) curves. Slow FD measurements showed a recoverable but highly hysteretic response, with the contact mechanical behaviour dependent on the loading direction: approach curves showed Hertzian behaviour while retraction curves fit the JKR contact mechanics model well into the adhesive regime, after which multiple detachment instabilities occurred. Using small amplitude dynamic modulation to explore faster rates, the load dependence of the storage stiffness transitioned from Hertzian to a dynamic punch-type (constant contact area) model, indicating significant influence of material dissipation coupled with adhesion. Using the appropriate contact model across the full frequency range measured, the storage moduli were found to remain nearly constant until an increase began near ∼100 Hz. The softer gels' storage modulus increased from 7.9 ± 0.4 to 14.5 ± 2.1 kPa (∼85%), and the stiffer gels' storage modulus increased from 16.3 ± 1.1 to 31.7 ± 5.0 kPa (∼95%). This increase at high frequencies may be attributed to a contribution from solvent confinement in the hydrogel (poroelasticity). The storage moduli measured by both macro-rheometry and AFM FD curves were comparable to those measured using the modulation method at their overlapping frequencies (10–25 Hz). In all cases, care was taken to ensure the contact mechanics models were applied within the important limit of small relative deformations. This study thus highlights possible transitions in the probe–material contact mechanical behaviour for soft matter, especially when the applied strain rates and the material relaxation rates become comparable. In particular, at low frequencies, the modulus follows Hertzian contact mechanics, while at high frequencies adhesive contact is well represented by punch-like behaviour. More generally, use of the Hertz model on hydrogels at high loading rates, at high strains, or during the retraction portion of FD curves, leads to significant errors in the calculated moduli.

Wetting and phase separation in soft adhesion

Abstract: In the classic theory of solid adhesion, surface energy drives deformation to increase contact area whereas bulk elasticity opposes it. Recently, solid surface stress has been shown also to play an important role in opposing deformation of soft materials. This suggests that the contact line in soft adhesion should mimic that of a liquid droplet, with a contact angle determined by surface tensions. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observe a contact angle of a soft silicone substrate on rigid silica spheres that depends on the surface functionalization but not the sphere size. However, to satisfy this wetting condition without a divergent elastic stress, the gel phase separates from its solvent near the contact line. This creates a four-phase contact zone with two additional contact lines hidden below the surface of the substrate. Whereas the geometries of these contact lines are independent of the size of the sphere, the volume of the phase-separated region is not, but rather depends on the indentation volume. These results indicate that theories of adhesion of soft gels need to account for both the compressibility of the gel network and a nonzero surface stress between the gel and its solvent.

Air cushioning in droplet impact. II. Experimental characterization of the air film evolution

Abstract: A liquid drop approaching a solid surface deforms substantially under the influence of the ambient air which needs to be squeezed out before the liquid can actually touch the solid. We use nanometer- and microsecond-resolved dual wavelength interferometry described in Part I (also published in this issue) to reveal the complex spatial and temporal evolution of the squeezed air layer. In low-velocity droplet impact, i.e., We numbers of order unity, the confined air layer below the droplet develops two local minima in thickness. We quantitatively measure the evolution of the droplet bottom interface and find that surface tension determines the air film thickness below the first kink, after which fluid is diverted outward to form a second even sharper kink. Depending on We, one of the two kinks approaches the surface more closely forming liquid-solid contact. The early time spreading of liquid-solid contact is controlled by the capillary driving force and the inertia of the liquid. The cushioned air film geometry, i.e., a flat micrometer-thin gap, induces an increase of the spreading velocity; the contact area first spreads over the cushioned region, only then followed by radial spreading. This spreading mechanism can lead to the entrapment of one or more air bubbles.

Friction and universal contact area law for randomly rough viscoelastic contacts

Abstract: We present accurate numerical results for the friction force and the contact area for a viscoelastic solid (rubber) in sliding contact with hard, randomly rough substrates. The rough surfaces are self-affine fractal with roughness over several decades in length scales. We calculate the contribution to the friction from the pulsating deformations induced by the substrate asperities. We also calculate how the area of real contact, A(v, p), depends on the sliding speed v and on the nominal contact pressure p, and we show how the contact area for any sliding speed can be obtained from a universal master curve A(p). The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of an analytical contact mechanics theory.

Noncontact friction via capillary shear interaction at nanoscale.

Abstract: Friction in an ambient condition involves highly nonlinear interactions of capillary force, induced by the capillary-condensed water nanobridges between contact or noncontact asperities of two sliding surfaces. Since the real contact area of sliding solids is much smaller than the apparent contact area, the nanobridges formed on the distant asperities can contribute significantly to the overall friction. Therefore, it is essential to understand how the water nanobridges mediate the 'noncontact' friction, which helps narrow the gap between our knowledge of friction on the microscopic and macroscopic scales. Here we show, by using noncontact dynamic force spectroscopy, the single capillary bridge generates noncontact friction via its shear interaction. The pinning-depinning dynamics of the nanobridge's contact line produces nonviscous damping, which occurs even without normal load and dominates the capillary-induced hydrodynamic damping. The novel nanofriction mechanism may provide a deeper microscopic view of macroscopic friction in air where numerous asperities exist.

Partial-slip frictional response of rough surfaces

Abstract: If two elastic bodies with rough surfaces are first pressed against each other and then loaded tangentially, sliding will occur at the boundary of the contact area while the inner parts may still stick. With increasing tangential force, the sliding parts will expand while the sticking parts shrink and finally vanish. In this paper, we study the fractions of the contact area, tangential force and tangential stiffness, associated with the sticking portion of the contact area, as a function of the total applied tangential force up to the onset of full sliding. For the numerical analysis randomly rough, fractal surfaces are used, with the Hurst exponent H ranging from 0.1 to 0.9. Numerical simulations by boundary element method are compared with an analytical analysis in the framework of the Greenwood and Williamson (GW) model. In both cases, a universal linear dependency between the real contact area fraction in stick condition and the applied tangential force is found, regardless of the Hurst exponent of the rough surfaces. Regarding the dependence of the differential tangential stiffness on the tangential force, a linear relation is found in the GW case. For randomly rough surfaces, a nonlinear relation depending on H is derived.

Post-cam mechanics and tibiofemoral kinematics: a dynamic in vitro analysis of eight posterior-stabilized total knee designs

Abstract: Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)-substituting total knee arthroplasty (TKA) designs were introduced to avoid paradoxical roll forward of the femur and to optimize knee kinematics. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate post-cam function and contact mechanics and relate it to knee kinematics during squatting in eight contemporary posterior-stabilized TKA designs. All prostheses were fixed on custom-designed metal fixtures and mounted in a knee rig and five sequential-loaded squats were performed between 30° and 130° of flexion. Contact pressure and contact area were measured using pressure-sensitive Tekscan sensors on the posterior face of the post. Kinematics was recorded with reflective markers and infrared light-capturing cameras. The post-cam mechanisms analyzed in this study are very variable in terms of design features. This leads to large variations in terms of the flexion angle at which the post and cam engage maximal contact force, contact pressure and contact area. We found that more functional post-cam mechanisms, which engage at lower flexion angle and have a similar behavior as normal PCL function, generally show more normal rollback and tibial rotation at the expense of higher contact forces and pressures. All designs show high contact forces. A positive correlation was found between contact force and initial contact angle. Post-cam contact mechanics and kinematics were documented in a standardized setting. Post-cam contact mechanics are correlated with post-cam function. Outcomes of this study can help to develop more functional designs in future. Nevertheless, a compromise will always be made between functional requirements and risk of failure. We assume that more normal knee kinematics leads to more patient satisfaction because of better mobility. Understanding of the post-cam mechanism, and knowing how this system really works, is maybe the clue in further development of new total knee designs.

The influence of nanoscale roughness and substrate chemistry on the frictional properties of single and few layer graphene

Abstract: Nanoscale carbon lubricants such as graphene, have garnered increased interest as protective surface coatings for devices, but its tribological properties have been shown to depend on its interactions with the underlying substrate surface and its degree of surface conformity. This conformity is especially of interest as real interfaces exhibit roughness on the order of ∼10 nm that can dramatically impact the contact area between the graphene film and the substrate. To examine the combined effects of surface interaction strength and roughness on the frictional properties of graphene, a combination of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Raman microspectroscopy has been used to explore substrate interactions and the frictional properties of single and few-layer graphene as a coating on silica nanoparticle films, which yield surfaces that mimic the nanoscaled asperities found in realistic devices. The interactions between the graphene and the substrate have been controlled by comparing their binding to hydrophilic (silanol terminated) and hydrophobic (octadecyltrichlorosilane modified) silica surfaces. AFM measurements revealed that graphene only partially conforms to the rough surfaces, with decreasing conformity, as the number of layers increase. Under higher mechanical loading the graphene conformity could be reversibly increased, allowing for a local estimation of the out-of-plane bending modulus of the film. The frictional properties were also found to depend on the number of layers, with the largest friction observed on single layers, ultimately decreasing to that of bulk graphite. This trend however, was found to disappear, depending on the tip-sample contact area and interfacial shear strain of the graphene associated with its adhesion to the substrate.