Numerical Analysis of Normal Contact Stiffness of Rough Surfaces

Abstract

A numerical model was proposed to investigate the contact behaviour of a solid with a rough surface squeezed against a rigid flat plane. We considered simulated hierarchical surface structures as well as scanned surface data obtained by the profilometry of isotropically roughened specimens. The simulated and treated surfaces were characterised using statistical and fractal parameters. The evolution of contact stiffness under increasing normal compression was analysed through the total truncated area at varying heights, in order to relate contact mechanics to different surface parameters employed for surface characterisation. For a relatively small surface interference, the predicted stress-dependent normal contact stiffness of both scanned and simulated surfaces is in good agreement with experimental observation from nanoindentation tests, revealing a power-law function of the normal load, with the exponent of this relationship closely depending on the fractal dimension of rough surfaces. The numerical results show that the amplitude of a fractal rough surface mainly contributes to the magnitude of the contact stiffness at a given normal load.