Oblique impact experiments have been carried out with stainless-steel microspheres and silicon surfaces under a range of impact velocities from 0.45 to 1.90 m s(-1) and different incident angles. When the normal velocity component for oblique impact is less than the capture velocity as seen for normal impact, no capture was observed. The experimental results also reveal that the pattern of impulse ratio variation with incident angle varies with different initial impact velocities. Furthermore, the measured coefficient of restitution values can be predicted by a dynamic simulation model, and the measured impulse ratios can be matched if the microspheres are assumed to have initial angular velocities. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.