From infinitesimal to full contact between rough surfaces: evolution of the contact area

Abstract: We carry out a statistically meaningful study on self-affine rough surfaces in elastic frictionless non-adhesive contact. We study the evolution of the true contact area under increasing squeezing pressure. Rough surfaces are squeezed from zero up to full contact, which enables us to compare the numerical results both with asperity based models at light pressures and with Persson's contact model for the entire range of pressures. Through the contact perimeter we estimate the error bounds inherent to contact area calculation in discrete problems. A large number of roughness realizations enables us to compute reliably the derivative of the contact area with respect to the pressure. In contrast to Persson's model and in agreement with asperity based models, we demonstrate that at light pressures it is a decreasing convex function. The nonlinearity of the contact area evolution, preserved for the entire range of pressures, is especially strong close to infinitesimal contact. This fact makes difficult an accurate investigation of contact at light pressure and prevents the evaluation of the proportionality coefficient, which is predicted by analytical models. A good agreement of numerical results with Persson's model is obtained for the shape of the area-pressure curve especially near full contact. We investigate the effects of the cutoff wavenumbers in surface spectrum onto the contact area evolution. Nayak's parameter is one of the central characteristics of roughness, it also plays an important role in rough contact mechanics, but its effect is significantly weaker than predicted by asperity based models. We give a detailed derivation of a new phenomenological contact evolution law; also we derive formulae that link Nayak's parameter and density of asperities with Hurst exponent and cutoffs wavenumbers.