We tested the adhesive response of polymer surfaces structured with arrays of cylindrical fibrils having diameters of 10 -20 mm and aspect ratios 1-2.4. Fibrils had two different tip shapes of end-flaps and round edges. A preloadinduced mechanical buckling instability of the fibrils was used to switch between the states of adhesion and non-adhesion. Non-adhesion in fibrils with round edges was reached at preloads that caused fibril buckling, whereas fibrils with end-flaps showed adhesion loss only at very high preloads. The round edge acted as a circumferential flaw prohibiting smooth tip contact recovery leading to an adhesion loss. In situ observations showed that, after reversal of buckling, the end-flaps unfold and re-form contact under prevailing compressive stress, retaining adhesion in spite of buckling. At very high preloads, however, end-flaps are unable to re-form contact resulting in adhesion loss. Additionally, the end-flaps showed varying contact adaptability as a function of the fibril -probe alignment, which further affects the preload for adhesion loss. The combined influence of preload, tip shape and alignment on adhesion can be used to switch adhesion in bioinspired fibrillar arrays.

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This paper investigates the feasibility and flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams internally prestressed with straight unbonded aluminum alloy tendons by testing five partially prestressed beams and one reference beam. For each beam specimen, load-deflection curves, failure modes and cracking behavior, the relationship between load and strains in steel and prestressing aluminum alloy tendons were examined and analyzed. In particular, the effects of effective prestress, combined reinforcement index (CRI), and partial prestressing ratio (PPR) on flexure of concrete beams were discussed. The test results indicated that the spacing and width of concrete cracks of prestressed beams containing the same amount of bonded longitudinal steel reinforcement decreased with the increase of effective prestress, and the combined reinforcement index governs flexural behavior of the prestressed beams. The flexural crack width and displacement ductility exhibited a reduction with the increase of CRI. In addition, an analytical model was established to calculate the flexural strength and corresponding deflection at midspan of the concrete beams internally prestressed with unbonded aluminum alloy tendons by suggesting a new simplified curvature distribution, which is more accordant with the original curvature distribution. The proposed model provides a relatively good estimation of the flexural capacity and midspan deflection of the prestressed beams.