Surface Hierarchy: Macroscopic and Microscopic Design Elements for Improved Sliding on Ice

Abstract

Frictional interaction with a surface will depend on the features and topography within the contact zone. Describing this interaction is particularly complex when considering ice friction, which needs to look at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Since Leonardo da Vinci shared his findings that roughness increases friction, emphasis has been placed on measuring surface coarseness, neglecting the contact area. Here, a profilometer was used to measure the contact area at different slicing depths and identify contact points. Metal blocks were polished to a curved surface to reduce the contact area; further reduced by milling 400 µm grooves or laser-micromachining grooves with widths of 50 µm, 100 µm, and 150 µm. Sliding speed was measured on an inclined ice track. Asperities from pileup reduced sliding speed, but a smaller contact area from grooves and a curved sliding surface increased sliding speed. An analysis of sliding speed versus contact area from incremental slicing depths showed that a larger asperity contact surface pointed to faster sliding, but an increase in the polished surface area reduced sliding. As such, analysis of the surface at different length scales has revealed different design elements—asperities, grooves, curved zones—to alter the sliding speed on ice.