A vacuum apparatus is described to measure the interfacial adhesion of uniaxially loaded metal surfaces. Integral abrasion and ion beam bombardment devices for removing surface contaminant films in vacuum prior to interfacial contact are contained in the system. Measurements of the tensile force to rupture contact weldments in copper showed that the adhesion strength varied with the effectiveness of surface oxide removal and with the applied compressive contact stress and corresponding deformation strain. The interfacial electrical contact resistance was observed to decrease substantially with increasing adhesion. © 1969 The American Institute of Physics.
