A Multi-Scale Investigation to Predict the Dynamic Instabilities Induced by Frictional Contact

Abstract

We propose a new variational formulation to model and predict friction-induced vibrations. The multi-scale computational framework exploits the results of (i) the roughness measurements and (ii) the micro-scale contact simulations, using the boundary element method, to enrich the contact zone of the macroscopic finite element model of rubbing systems with nominally flat contact boundaries. The resulting finite elements at the contact interface of the macroscopic model include (i) a modified normal gap and (ii) a micro-scale description of the contact law (i.e., pressure gap) derived by solving the frictionless contact problem on a rough surface indenting a rigid half-plane. The method is applied to a disc brake system to show its robustness in comparison with classical deterministic formulations. With respect to the traditional complex eigenvalues analysis, the proposed multi-scale approach shows that the inclusion of roughness significantly improves the results at low frequencies. In this panorama, any improvement of dynamic instabilities predictions should be based on an uncertainty analysis incorporating roughness combined with other parameters such as friction coefficient and shear moduli of the pads, rather than on roughness itself.