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Modeling of 3D Surface Morphologies for Predicting the Mechanical Contact Behaviors and Associated Electrical Contact Resistance

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Abstract

The accurate estimation of real contact area plays an important role in predicting the mechanical contact situation and associated electrical contact resistance for engineering rough surfaces. In this work, an improved peak identification method is proposed to reconstruct the rough surface morphologies numerically. A universal calculation process of real contact area and load force under the progressive indentation depth for rough surfaces is developed. Furthermore, a three-dimensional finite element model for analyzing the mechanical contact problem is built and the electromechanical coupling simulation results are compared with that obtained by our novel calculation method. The proposed solution is beneficial for accurate calculation of contact area, which is featured by high aspect ratio in the case of micro-contact. The relationship between electrical contact resistance and load force is also captured in the initial contact process.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their gratitude for the kind support provided by The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Contract Number 51377029 and 51777039).

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  1. School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China

    Chao Zhang & Wanbin Ren

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  1. Chao Zhang
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Correspondence to Wanbin Ren.

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Zhang, C., Ren, W. Modeling of 3D Surface Morphologies for Predicting the Mechanical Contact Behaviors and Associated Electrical Contact Resistance. Tribol Lett 69, 20 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-020-01392-9

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