A Survey of Current Models for Simulating the Contact between Rough Surfaces

Analyzing the contact between rough surfaces plays a key role in studying friction, wear, and lubrication in tribological systems. A proper description of the lubrication state and thermal condition also relies on a thorough understanding of the contact phenomena. The existing models for simulating the contact between rough surfaces are reviewed in this paper in three aspects: descriptions of rough surface profiles, expressions of the relations between the contact pressure and the surface displacement, and techniques used to solve the contact equations for the contact pressure and the surface displacements. Recent advancements in contact-models development are also briefly introduced. Presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting in Detroit, Michigan May 17-21, 1998