Effect of temperature difference on the adhesive contact between two spheres

In the present work, by considering the thermoelastic effect, the JKR model is extended to study the non-slipping adhesive contact between two spheres of different initial temperature under the normal applied force. The analytical expressions for the tractions within the contact area and the applied force as a function of the contact radius are derived, based on which some numerical results are given. It is found that the thermoelastic effect can significantly influence the adhesive contact behaviors such as the pull-off force and the contact radius at zero applied force. The present work may cast light on optimizing the strength of the adhesive contact interfaces in engineering like various thermal bonding technologies.