Analysis of the discrete contact characteristics based on the Greenwood-Williamson model and the localization principle

The contact of a rigid body with nominally flat rough surface and an elastic half-space is considered. To solve the contact problem, the Greenwood-Williamson statistical model and the localization principle are used. The developed contact model allows us to investigate the surface approach and the real contact area with taking into account the asperities interaction. It is shown that the mutual influence of asperities changes not only contact characteristics at the macroscale, but also the contact pressure distribution at the microscale. As follows from the results, the inclusion in the contact model of the effect of the mutual influence of asperities is especially significant for studying the real contact area, as well as the contact characteristics at high applied loads. The results calculated according to the proposed approach are in a good agreement with the experimentally observed effects, i.e., the real contact area saturation and the additional compliance exhaustion.