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The dynamics of polymer surfaces is a controversial subject. Many experimental evidences support the existence of a surface mobile layer, while there are a few equally strong experimental evidences that contradict it. Here we show, through…
Emulating natural mechanisms in technology has become a very efficient technique to optimize and improve the current machinery. Riblets are such kinds of bio-inspired surface patterns which are seen on Sharks. Their geometric properties…
The logarithmic spiral is observed as a common pattern in several living beings across kingdoms and species. Some examples include fern shoots, prehensile tails, and soft limbs like octopus arms and elephant trunks. In the latter cases,…
Controlling optical and tribological properties of metal surfaces, like color and wear rate, without altering their chemical composition is a highly desirable process across numerous fields of science and industry. It represents a…
Pavement surface textures obtained by a photogrammetry-based method for data acquisition and analysis are employed to investigate if related roughness descriptors are comparable to the frictional performance evaluated by finite element…
In this paper, we report on new experimental results on the effects of in-plane surface stretching on the friction of Poly(DiMethylSiloxane) (PDMS) rubber with smooth rigid probes. Friction-induced displacement fields are measured at the…
Bristled and membranous insect wings have co-evolved despite apparently serving the same functionality. We emulate flight physics using an automated free-fall experiment to better understand how and why several distinct wing forms may have…
Robots are becoming increasingly essential for traversing complex environments such as disaster areas, extraterrestrial terrains, and marine environments. Yet, their potential is often limited by mobility and adaptability constraints. In…
Adhesion control at the interface of two surfaces is crucial in various applications, including the design of micro- and nanodevices such as microfluidic devices, triboelectric nanogenerators, biochips, and electronic sensors. Several…
Breakthroughs in aerodynamic optimization have made it possible to develop efficient modes of transport with lesser exploitation of valuable resources. This makes it crucial for technical professionals such as engineers and scientists to…
Acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between foam friction and surface roughness is essential for achieving precise control over their flow dynamics. In particular, a major challenge is to reduce friction, which can be…
Biological interactions with material surfaces span a wide range of length scales, yet conventional surface measurements often fail to account for scale, limiting the insights they provide for surface engineering. Here, we investigate how…
The design of a robust superhydrophobic surface is a widely pursued topic.While many investigations are limited to applications with high impact velocities (for raindrops of the order of a few m/s), the essence of robustness is yet to be…
Durable interfacing of hard and soft materials is a major design challenge caused by the ensuing stress concentrations. In nature, soft-hard interfaces exhibit remarkable mechanical performance, with failures rarely happening at the…
The modes of attachments, detachments and relaxations of molecules of rubbers and gels on solid surfaces are keys to understanding their frictional properties. An early stochastic model of polymer relaxations on surfaces was given by…
We probe the temperature dependence of friction at the interface between a glassy poly(methylmethacrylate) lens and a flat substrate coated with a methyl-terminated self-assembled monolayer. The monolayer exhibits density defects which act…
Skin is a highly non-linear, anisotropic, rate dependent inelastic, and nearly incompressible material which exhibits substantial hysteresis even under very slow (quasistatic) loading conditions. In this paper, a series of uniaxial cyclic…
Humanoid robots are envisioned as general-purpose platforms in human-centered environments, yet their deployment is limited by vulnerability to falls and the risks posed by rigid metal-plastic structures to people and surroundings. We…
The friction force observed at macroscale is the result of interactions at various lower length scales that are difficult to model in a combined manner. For this reason, simplified approaches are required, depending on the specific aspect…
A simple phenomenological approach to metal plasticity, including the description of the strain-induced plastic anisotropy, is considered. The advocated approach is exemplified by a two-dimensional rheological analogy. This analogy provides…