Hysteresis Sliding Friction of Rubber—Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

A viscoelastic finite element contact analysis that predicts the hysteretic friction between a sliding rubber block and equally spaced triangular asperities is briefly described. Comparison of analytical results with experimentally measured friction values shows that the finite element analysis can be successfully applied to contact problems. The analysis is used to study the influence of sliding speed, contact pressure, and asperity geometry on hysteresis friction. Results show that the pressure dependence of friction is influenced by the amount of contact of rubber with the asperity. The coefficient of hysteresis friction increases with increasing speed to a maximum value and then decreases with further increase in speed. The coefficient of friction very much depends on the geometry of the asperity. Finally, the application of this procedure to study the road/tire interaction problems is discussed.