Avalanche in adhesion
- 18 September 1989
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 63 (12), 1269-1272
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.63.1269
Abstract
Consider surfaces being brought into contact. It is proposed that atomic layers can collapse or avalanche together when the interfacial spacing falls below a critical distance. This causes a discontinuous drop in the adhesive binding energy. Avalanche can occur regardless of the stiffness of external supports. A simple understanding of the origin of this phenomenon is provided. A numerical calculation has been carried out for adhesion in Ni. A new wear mechanism due to avalanche is suggested.Keywords
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