Elucidation of contact state on various rough surfaces via highly robust colorimetric optical interferometry

In this study, we developed and practiced colorimetric optical interferometry for the direct observation of contact states to clarify contact phenomena. We theoretically demonstrated that the effect of roughness diffuse reflection could be neglected using interferometric light intensity according to the relationship between the optical film thickness and hue. Then, we measured the static contact surfaces of spherical test pieces of different root mean square roughnesses. Results indicate that the nominal contact area is significantly larger than that obtained from the Hertzian theory of smooth contact as the surface roughness increases. The contact film thickness on the nominal contact area increases almost in proportion to the root mean square roughness. Our experiment supports the validity of the contact theory and contact simulation with very small roughnesses, which have been difficult to verify experimentally. The advantage of this measurement is that it can simultaneously capture the macroscopic contact area and microscopic film thickness distribution, which is expected to further expand the range of application.

An experimental study on the relation between friction force and real contact area

Classical laws of friction suggest that friction force is proportional to the normal load and independent of the nominal contact area. As a great improvement in this subject, it is now widely accepted that friction force is proportional to the real contact area, and much work has been conducted based on this hypothesis. In present study, this hypothesis will be carefully revisited by measuring the friction force and real contact area in-site and real-time at both normal loading and unloading stages. Our experiments reveal that the linear relation always holds between friction force and normal load. However, for the relation between friction force and real contact area, the linearity holds only at the loading stage while fails at the unloading stage. This study may improve our understanding of the origin of friction.

Does Linearity Always Hold between Friction Force and Real Contact Area: An Experimental Study

Classical laws of friction suggest that friction force is proportional to the normal load and independent of the nominal contact area. As a great improvement in this subject, it is now widely accepted that friction force is proportional to the real area in contact, and much work has been conducted based on this hypothesis. In present study, this hypothesis will be carefully revisited by measuring the friction force and real contact area in-site and real-time at both normal loading and unloading stages. Our experiments reveal that the linear relation always holds between friction force and normal load. However, for the relation between friction force and real contact area, the linearity holds only at the loading stage while fails at the unloading stage. This study may improve our understanding of the origin of friction.

Analysis of contact and bending stiffness for Curvic couplings considering contact angle and surface roughness

This paper develops a method for calculating the contact and bending stiffness of a Curvic coupling, and investigates stiffness changes according to the coupling shape and surface roughness characteristics. The surface of the on-site Curvic coupling is chosen as reference for a most accurate simulation. The three parameters representing the surface roughness characteristics—the standard deviation of the asperity height distribution, the average radius of asperities, and the density of asperity on the nominal contact area—are calculated with a profile of the coupling surface through a random process: the contact problem between rough surfaces is tackled using the Greenwood-Williamson model, the Curvic coupling is modeled assuming that it has as many teeth as possible within the machining limits depending on the contact angle, and the tangential stiffness resulting from the contact angle is calculated by dividing into the stick and slip regions, and is taken into account in terms of total stiffness. With this, results showed that using Curvic couplings reduces stiffness than using flat disc couplings because of the contact angle, and that the standard deviation of rough surface height is the most crucial surface parameter affecting stiffness.

Micro-Contact Models for Metallic Line-Contact Based on Measured Surface Profile

In order to study the dry rough line-contact mechanism between two longitudinally rough metallic surfaces, the measured profile is mathematically described by quadratic functions for the application of the existing micro-contact models. The mechanical parameters are determined using the different approximating criteria. Next, based on these deterministic parameters, different micro-contact models are employed and extended to predict the characteristics of a line-contact. Comparison of different theoretical calculation results reveals that the greater maximum values of the contact deformation and the ratio of real to nominal contact area are predicted by the Hertz model as compared to the micro-contact models considering the elastoplastic deformation, and that the KE (Kogut and Etsion) and JG (Jackson and Green) models predict closer results. It is also found that when the rough surfaces are described by quadratic functions according to the same area criterion or same root mean square (RMS) criterion, the line-contact responses between them prescribed by any micro-contact models have the same tendency.

Experimental and Numerical Simulation Study of Pre-deformed Heavy Copper Wire Wedge Bonds

To implement a self-optimization technique for ultrasonic wire bonding machines, a model of the pre-deformation phase is essential. The local material characteristics change abruptly because of the cold work during deformation. Investigations confirm a significant influence on the material properties of the contact members during touchdown. In a first step this paper validates the importance of modeling the pre-deformation experimentally. In a second step, the paper presents a numerical study of the elasto-plastic deformation based on the finite element method. This model includes measured overshoots in the touchdown forces in order to achieve accurate model responses. A validation of the model with the resulting nominal contact area, surface pressure and penetration depth reveals the high model quality.

An Investigation Into the Thermal Behavior of the Grooved Dry Friction Clutch

The heat generated during the sliding period at the initiation of engagement in friction clutches is considered to be one of the main reasons for the failure of the friction material. One way to reduce the risk of this problem is to increase the rate of heat transfer by convection or, in other words, reduce the heat content of the friction material (internal energy) and thereby increase the lifecycle of the friction clutch. In this paper, the finite element technique has been used to study the effect of radial circumferential grooves on the temperature distribution and the amount of energy transferred by convection for a dry friction clutch disk during a single engagement, assuming a uniform distribution for the thermal load between the contact surfaces (i.e., uniform wear on clutch surfaces). Three-dimensional transient simulations are conducted to study the thermoelastic coupling of the problem. The effect of the groove area ratio (GR, defined as the groove area divided by the nominal contact area) is investigated. Furthermore, this paper presents the equations for energy considerations and energy balance at any time for the friction clutch system. The numerical results show that the amount of energy transferred by convection from the friction material can be controlled (within a limitation) by adjusting the value of the groove area ratio. Commercial ANSYS13 software has been used to perform the numerical computations in this paper.

Influence of Vibration Time and Frequency on Surface Finishing Using Vibration-Assisted Micro-Forging

Vibration-assisted micro-forging was proposed for metal foil surface finishing. The mechanism was investigated by analysis of strain, surface roughness, microhardness, real / nominal contact area ratio and forming work at different vibration time and frequencies. Results show that vibration time and frequency influence the surface deformation by means of real contact area and forming work accordingly.

Effects of surface morphology on thermal contact resistance

The thermal contact resistance is common in aerospace industry, nuclear reactors and electronic equipments. The work addresses a new scheme for determining the thermal contact resistance between a smooth surface of a film and a rough surface of a metal specimen. The finite element method was used as a tool to explore the surface morphology effect on the thermal contact resistance while the temperature of the contact surface was determined by a regression method. According to the results developed, the temperature on the contact surfaces linearly drops with the increasing average height of surface roughness and nonlinearly drops with the increasing ratio between non-contact area and nominal contact area. On the other hand, the thermal contact resistance increases linearly with increases in the average height of the surface roughness. What?s more, the thermal contact resistance increases in a non-linear manner as the ratio of the non-contact area to the nominal contact area is increasing.

Wet adhesion for a miniature mobile intra-abdominal device based on biomimetic principles

An assessment of adhesion between the peritoneum and various micro/ nanopatterned polymer surfaces is presented as a key step in the design of a miniature intra-abdominal device for use in minimally invasive surgery practices. Of particular interest is the gathering of necessary information concerning understanding and quantifying the forces required to enable such a device to adhere to, move over, or detach and reattach to surface tissue without any damage to the latter. A micro-tribometer apparatus is used for this purpose, and results show that the adhesion force generated between the polymer and peritoneum does not scale linearly with nominal contact area. It is found that a non-optimized polymer surface patterned with a homogeneous micro-pillar structure, having an area of 113 mm2, when in contact with the peritoneum, is able to generate an adhesive force of 70 mN; six to eight such pads would in principle be capable of supporting a device/payload weighing 40–50 g. A discussion is provided of the mechanism(s) by which the adhesion is achieved and how the findings may impact on the eventual design and subsequent manufacture of a working intracorporeal device.