Numerical Simulation of Synthetic Microstructured Fibrillar Adhesive Pads

Recently, the study, analysis and prototyping of biologically inspired adhesives pads have been subject of growing interest. These synthetic adhesives consist of rafts of tiny protruding fibers. The adhesion performance of these micro-engineered products is highly dependent on the geometrical and mechanical properties of microfibers and the surface they adhering to. Small fluctuations in these parameters can drastically change their adhesion performance. In this investigation, a more comprehensive mathematical model of a single micro-fiber with adhesion capability in contact with an uneven surface has been developed. To simulate realistic conditions, this analytical model could be extended to an array of micro-fibers. Using Monte Carlo techniques it was possible to study the behavior of an array of these micro-fibers under several degrees of uncertainty. The results deduced by this novel modeling approach are in good agreement with experimental measurements of adhesion performance in synthetic adhesive pads available in literature.