Abstract
Contact between a metal sphere and plane specimens of a synthetic polymer has been investigated experimentally. The area of contact has been determined, for a range of contact loads, by measurement of the surface charge retained by the polymer after contact. It is shown that the area of contact is described by the Hertz equation. The experimental data indicate that the previously reported departure from the Hertz equation under small contact loads, which has been attributed to changes in the surface energy of the materials, may be accounted for by the contact charge. It is concluded that surface charges contribute significantly to the adhesion of dissimilar materials.

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