Contact Problems at Micro/Nano Scale with Surface Tension

When contact radius reduces to micro or nano scale, the influence of surface tension becomes important. In this paper, we summarize some of our works in this subject. Based on the solution of a point force acting on an elastic half space with surface tension, we consider the indentation on an elastic half space by rigid cylinder and sphere, respectively. The explicit relations of load depending on contact radius and indent depth are presented. Through a finite element approach accounting for surface energy, we verify the equivalence of the compression of an elastic sphere and the indentation of a half space, even with the presence of surface tension. Furthermore, we address the influence of surface tension on adhesive contact, and give the explicit expressions of contact radius and indent depth. These works are useful to accurately characterize the contact problems at micro and nano scale.