In industry, managing friction is essential for forming complex parts and reducing energy consumption. This project, funded by the “Innosuisse- Swiss Innovation Agency,” explores the role of the presence of third-body particles in influencing the friction coefficient of rough surfaces.
Our goal is to get a better understanding of the friction coefficient. The study investigates how particle movements between asperities affect surface deformation, contact area, and overall frictional behavior, providing valuable insights for controlling friction in industrial systems.
During sliding rough contacts the third body particles from solid lubrication or wearing materials can not only affect the surface profile after deformation, but they can also change the frictional behavior of the system during deformation. Based on the initial roughness profile and material properties. The particles can bear a part of the contact pressure, be trapped between the surfaces, or even plow on the surfaces. The goal of our work is to explore the effect of third-body particles, particularly non-spherical shapes, on the frictional behavior of tribological systems. Using a computational model that couples both the Boundary Element Method (BEM) and Discrete Element Method (DEM), we analyze how particle density impacts friction coefficients under various normal pressures and surface roughness conditions. The findings will offer insights into how particle movement between asperities influences friction, with important implications for friction control in industrial applications.
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The attached video demonstrates how oblate spheroidal rigid particles move between surfaces when a rough, rigid surface plows on a deformable rough surface.