Abstract

It is nearly impossible to separate two interleaved phonebooks by pulling their spines. The very slight force exerted by the outer sheets of the assembly is amplified as the exponential of the square of the number of sheets, meaning that even a small number of sheets can create a highly resistant system. We present a systematic and detailed study of the influences of the normal external force and the geometrical parameters of the booklets on the assembly strength. We conclude that the paper-paper adhesion force between the two outer sheets, on the order of a few \(\hbox {mN}\), is the one amplified by the interleaved-book system. The two-phonebook experiment—which has attracted the attention of students and the non-scientific public all around the world as an outstanding demonstration of the strength of friction—appears to also be a spectacular macroscopic manifestation of the microscopic coupling of friction and adhesion.

Graphic Abstract

中文翻译：

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交错书本中粘附力的非线性放大

摘要

通过拉动电话簿的脊椎将两个交错的电话簿分开几乎是不可能的。组件的外层施加的非常轻微的力被放大为层数的平方的指数，这意味着即使是少量的层也可以创建一个高抵抗力的系统。我们对法向外力和小册子的几何参数对装配强度的影响进行了系统而详细的研究。我们得出结论，两个外层之间的纸-纸粘附力，在几个\(\hbox {mN}\), 是由交错书系统放大的。两本电话簿实验——作为摩擦力的杰出证明而引起了全世界学生和非科学公众的关注——似乎也是摩擦和粘附微观耦合的壮观宏观表现。

图形摘要