Modeling Contact of Rough Surfaces with Bearing Ratio Curves

Inaccurate modeling of rough surface contact still makes it difficult to predict adhesion, friction, wear, leakage, and electrical and thermal contact resistance, which often need to be managed in engineering practice. To address this challenge, a new model of contact between two rough surfaces described by their bearing ratio curves has been developed. This model is compared to a traditional equivalent surface model employing the combined roughness concept and is experimentally verified using the spectrometric analysis of the gap between two surfaces in contact. The results show that the model based on the bearing ratio curves provides a more accurate practical solution for the rough surface contact formed under relatively light load.