Transient analysis of sliding contact of layered elastic/plastic solids with rough surfaces

 Based on the boundary element method (BEM) and a variational principle, a numerical model is developed to analyze the time – transient sliding contact of two layered elastic/plastic solids. Two cases are considered: one is the loading/sliding/unloading of a rough surface on a smooth surface, and the other is of two rough surfaces. Contact statistics, contact pressure profile and stress distribution are predicted at each time step with updated surface roughness. The results are used to study the effect of surface roughness, physical properties of the layer and the substrate, and lubricant film thickness on friction, stiction, and wear. Discussion on the integration of this contact model into advanced tribological models, e.g., wear model, is also presented. Received: 28 June 2002/Accepted: 23 October 2002 Currently at: Seagate Technology, Pittsburgh, PA Paper presented at the 13th Annual Symposium on Information Storage and Processing Systems, Santa Clara, CA, USA, 17–18 June, 2002