The Interplay of Viscoelasticity and Friction in Thin Tape Peeling

Despite numerous experimental studies highlighting the potential occurrence of interfacial sliding during peeling processes, there is currently no model that takes into account the combined influence of tape viscoelasticity and frictional interfacial dissipation on global peeling behavior. In this study a theoretical analysis of the peeling of a thin viscoelastic tape from a rigid substrate is presented. Both stuck and sliding interfacial condition are considered. Results show that the presence of frictional dissipation leads to an enhanced adhesive performance of the system at small peeling angles compared to stuck model prediction, and that, in agreement with experimental evidences, the propagation velocity plays a key role in governing the global peeling behavior.