The relation between a microscopic threshold-force model and macroscopic models of adhesion

This paper continues our recent work on the relationship between discrete contact interactions at the microscopic scale and continuum contact interactions at the macroscopic scale (Hulikal et al., J. Mech. Phys. Solids 76, 144–161, 2015). The focus of this work is on adhesion. We show that a collection of a large number of discrete elements governed by a threshold-force based model at the microscopic scale collectively gives rise to continuum fracture mechanics at the macroscopic scale. A key step is the introduction of an efficient numerical method that enables the computation of a large number of discrete contacts. Finally, while this work focuses on scaling laws, the methodology introduced in this paper can also be used to study rough-surface adhesion.