On the Mechanism of Contact between Solid Surfaces : 1st Report, The Initial Separation and the Distributions of Slopes of Facets on Surface and on Profile Curve

Abstract

Assuming that the distribution curve obtained from the profile curve of the surface has a normal distribution, the relation between the surface roughness, the apparent contact area and the initial separation which is the distance between two median planes of surface in the beginning of contact is obtained theoretically. If the asperities are cones of the slopes which depend on the surface roughness, the relation between the distributions of slopes of cones and of slopes of small facets measured manually with a protractor on the profile curve is also deduced theoretically. The results of the theoretical analyses are compared with the experimental results for the initial separation and the distribution of slopes of facets on the profile curve. Results seem to support the plausibility of the proposed theory. Moreover this plausibility shows the possibility estimating the effects of the surface roughness and the apparent contact area of end faces of an object by length measurement.