Effect of size distribution on the adhesion of nanoscale asperities

We study the effect of asperity size on the adhesion properties of metal contact using atomistic simulations. The simulated size effect of individual nanoscale asperityies is applied to macroscopic rough surfaces by introducing a curvature radius distribution to a continuum-mechanics-based contact model. Our results indicate that the contact adhesion can be optimized by changing the curvature radius distribution of the asperity summits.