FURI | Spring 2023

Numerical Simulations of Atomic Force Microscopy Trials Observing the Effect of Surface Roughness on Tip Health, and Probe Deformation for Soft Materials with Hard Inclusions

Prior researchers have studied the material properties of varying test specimens using atomic force microscopy. The research literature on these trials has not taken into account the effect of surface roughness on measured values. When the probe tip is in contact with a rough surface the force of the probe tip is split into normal and tangential components. The magnitudes of these components vary in relation to the slope at the point of probe contact. In addition to varying normal forces, tip health degradation and probe deformation are caused by tangential forces on the probe causing torsion on the cantilever.