Adhesion characteristics of mica cleavage surfaces

The surface mechanics of adhesion were studied experimentally by measuring the normal forces on the surface. The system continuously records dynamic strain indicator signals so that the system can record real-time, dynamic measurements. The theoretical resolution is 0.023 mN. The system was used to measure the forces in an approach-separate experiment with newly cleaved mica. The tests show that the pull-off force of the newly cleaved mica decreases as the contact time increases. A thin layer of water between the mica surfaces increased the pull-off force three fold comparing with the dry contact. The results show that the meniscus force strongly influences the adhesive force and that the dynamic characteristics of the whole system can induce the jump out phenomenon that does not occur with surface damage or plastic deformation.