Failure by deformation in the lateral contact between sinusoidal asperities

Abstract

This article presents a study about the lateral force which produces the failure by deformation between asperities with the sine profile. This study begins with obtaining this force with experimental tests and numerical simulations by the finite element method, which shows good correspondence. The formulation of an analytical procedure to calculate the lateral force is also presented. This formulation is based on the theory of Hertz, which considers lateral contact between asperities, which causes deformation and eventually the failure. The results obtained by this method are compared to the results from tests and simulations using materials with different values of elasto-plasticity. The analysis of results shows the differences between analytical formulation and experimental data, according to which an empirical equation is formulated, whose results improve the approximation to the experimental data. The simplicity of the empirical equation formulated and adequate representation by the results of this, in tests and simulations, make it a numerical model useful for studies of surface wear.