Title: Modelling size, load and velocity effect on friction at micro/nanoscale

Authors: Michael Nosonovsky

Addresses: National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 8520, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8520, USA

Abstract: A model for size-, load-, and velocity-dependence of friction at micro/nanoscale is proposed. The friction force is equal to the real area of contact, depending upon the normal load, apparent size of contact (due to the surface self-affinity), and the sliding velocity (state-and-rate friction law), multiplied by the interfacial shear strength, depending upon the average size of individual asperity contacts a, while a, in turn, depends on the real area of contact (due to surface topography). The model accounts for effects of size, load and sliding velocity on friction and considers them in combination.

Keywords: friction mechanisms; nanotribology; modelling; contact size; load; sliding velocity; interfacial shear strength; asperity contacts; surface topography; nanotechnology; surface roughness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2007.013619

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, 2007 Vol.1 No.1, pp.22 - 37

Published online: 09 May 2007 *

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