INFLUENCE OF ELASTIC DEFORMATION ON THE PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION IN TEXTURED SURFACES

Texturing of functional surfaces has gained attention in the past year as a technique for reducing friction in engineering applications. However, the relying mechanism is not yet completely understood. It has been stated that the dimples work as hydrodynamic bearings and a net pressure build up occurs as the contact area slides over a dimple. In this paper, the contribution of the elastic deformation that the borders of the dimples undergo during sliding contact is investigated using the Reynolds equation. The results show that changes of the dimple morphology in the micrometer range substantially affect the pressure distribution.