On the Contact of Curved Rough Surfaces: Contact Behavior and Predictive Formulas

Abstract

The statistical microcontact models of Greenwood–Williamson (GW), Kogut–Etsion (KE), and Jackson–Green (JG) are employed along with the elastic bulk deformation of the contacting solids to predict the characteristics of rough elliptical point contact such as the pressure profile, real area of contact, and contact dimensions. In addition, the contribution of the bulk deformation and the asperity deformation to the total displacement is evaluated for different surface properties and loads. The approach involves solving the microcontact and separation equations simultaneously. Also presented are formulas that can be readily used for the prediction of the maximum contact pressure, contact dimensions, contact compliance, real area of contact, and pressure distribution.