Contact behaviors of rough surfaces under tension and bending

The contact problem of deformed rough surfaces exists widely in complex engineering structures. How to reveal the influence mechanism of surface deformation on the contact properties is a key issue in evaluating the interface performances of the engineering structures. In this paper, a contact model is established, which is suitable for tensile and bending deformed contact surfaces. Four contact forms of asperities are proposed, and their distribution characteristics are analyzed. This model reveals the mechanism of friction generation from the perspective of the force balance of asperity. The results show the contact behaviors of the deformed contact surface are significantly different from that of the plane contact, which is mainly reflected in the change in the number of contact asperities and the real contact area. This study suggests that the real contact area of the interface can be altered by applying tensile and bending strains, thereby regulating its contact mechanics and conductive behavior.