Crack and pull-off dynamics of adhesive, viscoelastic solids

When quickly detaching an elastomer from a counterface, viscoelasticity dramatically increases the perceived adhesion relative to its adiabatic or equilibrium value. Here, we report simulations on the sticking contact between a rigid cylinder and a viscoelastic half space revealing a maximum in the work of separation at intermediate pull-off velocities. Maximum tensile forces yet increase monotonically with the pull-off speed and the crack tip speed in accordance with the Persson-Brener approach. As predicted theoretically, the fracture mode transitions from interfacial crack propagation to quasi-uniform bond breaking with increasing range of adhesion. Copyright (C) 2022 The author(s)

Automated summary

This article presents simulations on the sticking contact between a rigid cylinder and a viscoelastic half space, revealing a maximum in the work of separation at intermediate pull-off velocities. The maximum tensile forces increase monotonically with the pull-off speed and the crack tip speed, consistent with the Persson-Brener approach. Additionally, the fracture mode transitions from interfacial crack propagation to quasi-uniform bond breaking with an increasing range of adhesion.