Temperature Rise in Frictional Sliding Contact of Elastic–Plastic Solids with Fractal Surface

Surface temperature rise during the sliding process significantly affects friction and wear, which is crucial for the performance of mechanical systems. In this work, the finite element method is adopted to simulate the frictional contact between a two-dimensional cylinder and an elastic–plastic substrate with a self-affine fractal surface. The influences of surface profile and external load on the maximum temperature rise are examined. Either the increase of roughness or the decrease of Hurst index would result in a reduction in contact area, and are more likely to produce higher maximum temperature and surface damage. Additionally, higher sliding velocity increases the maximum temperature, but the uplift of external load tends to eliminate the effects of rough profile on temperature and contact pressure. A general relation between maximum surface temperature rise and contact area for rough surfaces is proposed to predict the occurrence of the high-temperature hotspots during the sliding process. This study provides insights and novel perspectives for the understanding of the frictional and thermodynamic behavior of contact in mechanical structures.

Graphical Abstract