Paper 17: Microtopography of Surfaces
This paper describes an approach to the study of surfaces based on the digital analysis of data obtained from profilometric examinations. This technique is used to determine several new surface texture parameters, including the surface density, height distribution, and mean radius of curvature of the asperities. Recent theories have shown that these are the parameters which control the nature of surface contact. The implications which these ideas have for the science of metrology are discussed. The study also shows that many surfaces have height distributions which are Gaussian, and in particular that the heights of the upper half of most surfaces closely follow a Gaussian distribution. By combining data obtained from many closely spaced parallel profiles it has been possible to reconstruct detailed maps of the surface texture. Two examples are discussed: bead-blasted aluminium, and a glass surface lightly blasted with alumina. One of the advantages of microcartography is that it permits the geometry of the contact between rough surfaces to be studied in detail. A map is given showing the manner in which the contact area between two bead-blasted aluminium surfaces splits into sub-areas, and how these sub-areas are distributed with respect to the surface features of the contacting solids.