An Anisotropic Side Contact Model Based on the Peak Description Method of Surface Profile

Abstract

Abstract In contact models, traditional profile description methods are based on all sampling points of the profile. The methods can only describe the features in the height direction of profile, but are difficult to describe the profile features perpendicular to the height direction, which is the main obstacle to side contact modeling. In this paper, a profile description method based on peaks is proposed, which enables the profile features perpendicular to the height direction of the profile to be expressed. The statistical distribution law of the horizontal distances perpendicular to the height direction of the profile between adjacent asperities on anisotropic contact surfaces is investigated for the first time, and it is found that the distribution of the horizontal distances is very close to the normal distribution, but the values are different in different texture directions. The distribution law of the height differences between adjacent asperities is also investigated and is found to be close to a normal distribution, but the numerical values are different from the normal distribution of profile heights. Based on the results, the distribution function of the contact angle widely used in side contact model is replaced, and a new side contact model is proposed. By the model, the effects of the statistical parameters of surface profile and the material parameters of surfaces on the surface contact characteristics are investigated. The results of investigation show that the effect of the standard deviations of the horizontal distances between asperities in different texture directions on the normal contact stiffness between surfaces is obvious, and the normal contact stiffness will decrease with the increase of the standard deviation of the horizontal distances in any direction.