Abstract
Frictional conditions at contact interfaces can have a large influence on the success of some sheet metal forming operations. Topographic surface characterisation is a useful tool for obtaining data necessary for some tribological analyses, and it is proposed that a standard two-dimensional (2D) profilometer can be modified to provide inexpensive three-dimensional (3D) data without any significant loss of performance. A scanning white light interferometer is used to verify this hypothesis, and the results show that while the new profilometry technique is less accurate at low contact areas, it is sufficiently accurate for some purposes. Surface maps are created and the results used to calculate the real contact areas, bearing area curves and hydrodynamic lift pressures for a drawing-quality steel.
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