The time dependence of the surface‐force‐induced contact radius between glass particles and polyurethane substrates: Effects of substrate viscoelasticity on particle adhesion

Glass particles having mean diameters of 20 μm were deposited onto substrates consisting of cross‐linked polyurethane having Young’s moduli of 2.5 and 32 MPa. The surface‐force‐induced contact radii were then determined, as a function of time for periods between 20 and 3600 min, using scanning electron microscopy. No changes in the contact radius with time was found with either substrate. This suggests that the 0.75 power dependence of the contact radius on particle radius, for particles in contact with polyurethane substrates, previously reported [D. S. Rimai, L. P. DeMejo, and R. C. Bowen, J. Appl. Phys. 66, 3574 (1989)] was not caused by viscous response of the substrate.