We investigate the strength o
f adhesion and the dynamics o
f detachment o
f elastic beads (Young's modulus
E ![](/images/entities/ap.gi<font color=)
f">1 MPa) adhering to a horizontal solid sur
face in a viscous liquid. The beads are initially compressed on the sur
face.Their unbinding is imposed by
fast vertical stretching (above a certain threshold value). The decrease in the contactradius is monitored by inter
ferential microscopy. We
find that the dynamics o
f detachment involves three steps: (i)
fast elastic decompression, (ii) slow adhesive detachment, and (iii) catastrophic rupture. They can be interpreted bya trans
fer o
f the Johnson Kendall Roberts (JKR) energy toward viscous losses in the liquid wedge, near the rubber/solid/liquid (R/S/L) contact line.