08/08/2012

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ContactMechanics
Introduction
Thefictionandwearcharacteristicsofof atribosystemin
dependonthetypeofdeformationoftheirsurface
asperities.
Contactmechanicsofnormalloading
Surfacesareusuallyrough(haveasperitiesonthem)
contactbetweenthemoccuratalimitednumberof
asperitytips
Contactpressureisveryhighowingtoverysmallarea
ofcontact
Ingeneralcontactinvolvesbothealstic andplastic
strainswithinandbeneaththeasperities
Equationsareavailableinmanyformsforthecontact
sizeandstressdistributioninthecontactregion
TheequationswerederivedbyHeinrichHertzin1881
(attheageof28!)
Greenwood and Williamson proposed a plasticity index to
describe the transiton from elastic to plastic deformation of
surface asperities assuming Gaussian distribution.
Deformationofasperities
R H
E o '
= + 2
2
2
1
2
1
1 1
'
1
E E E
u u
+

=
H=hardnessofsoftermaterialincontact; =standarddeviationofof asperity height
R=mean radius ofcurvature ofasperities;1 and2 are Poissons ratios ofthe two bodies
Top2%ofasperitiesdeform:
plasticallyunderanyloadfor>1,
elasticallyfor<0.6
andfor0.6<<1,themodeofdeformationdependsonload
08/08/2012
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According to Tabor, the transition from elastic to elasto-plastic
deformation at the indentation of a rigid sphere on a flat surface
depends on indentation depth.
The deformation becomes elasto-plastic if the indentation depth
h exceeds the critical value hcr.
Deformationofasperities
2
89 . 0 |
.
|

\
|
- =
E
H
R h
cr
R=Radius ofthesphere
H=Hardness
E=Youngs modulus ofthedeformed material
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