  Liquid crystal elastomers are cross-linked elastomer networks with liquid
crystal mesogens incorporated into the main or side chain. Polydomain liquid
crystalline (nematic) elastomers exhibit unusual mechanical properties like
soft elasticity, where the material deforms at nearly constant stress, due to
the reorientation of mesogens. In this paper, we use numerical simulation to
study the implication of the remarkable elastic softness on a classical problem
of adhesion. This study reveals that the soft elasticity of nematic elastomers
dramatically affects the interfacial stress distribution at the interface of a
nematic elastomer cylinder adhered to a rigid substrate. The stress near the
edge of the nematic cylinder under tensile load deviates from the singular
behavior predicted for linear elastic materials, and the maximum normal stress
reduces dramatically. Moreover, the location of maximum interfacial stress
shifts from the edge to the center of the nematic cylinder when the applied
tensile force goes beyond a critical value. We discuss the implications for
adhesion. The results are consistent with the available experimental data.
