Adhesive Hertzian contact between a solid sphere and a soft polymer medium
is analyzed by using the Moutier theorem and then compared with finite elem
ent computation. The latter is then extended to polymer coatings on a rigid
substrate. Scratch experiments of a spherical sapphire indenter on a polym
er coating are performed and the results understood based on the above anal
ysis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.