When two solids with rough surfaces are in contact, the real contact area is only a fraction of the apparent zone of contact. This area plays a major role in various interface properties, like electric conductivity, heat conductivity, friction, etc. The contact area is decomposed into fractal patches, called contact clusters. Although the shape and number of these clusters is not important for properties such as electric conductivity, it plays a major role in the adhesive wear phenonmenon.
Our research in this topic consists of analysing the cluster distribution of a rough contact situation with varying load, and to show how the changes in distribution can affect the amount of wear happening between two solids. A video attach to this page shows how the contact clusters evolve with an increasing applied load, with clusters contributing to wear increasing in number and size.