Effect of Surface Tension on Nanocontact Problem

This paper proposes an application of surface elasticity theory in the analysis of contact problem at nano-scale. The Fourier integral transform method is adopted to derive the fundamental solutions for contact problem with surface tension effects. As a special case, the deformation induced by normal triangle distribution force is discussed in detail. The results indicate some interesting characteristics in nano-mechanics, which are distinctly different from those in classical contact problem. The results show that the hardness of material depends strongly on the surface tension.