Contacting surfaces distributed filament contact

Figure 2. Illustration of the contacting surfaces of a Distributed Filament...

There are three mechanisms that can be proposed. First, if a large number of isolated, unwetted spots exist, distributed over the solid surface, these will certainly act as sites from which unwetted regions surrounding filament bases can develop by growth and coalescence. Under normal stress, un wetted spots will enlarge until they coalesce and the wetted regions become the isolated areas—in other words, the regions of two-phase contact, of the filament bases. 

---