Deterministic Model for Rubber-Metal Contact Including the Interaction Between Asperities

Rubber-metal contact involves relatively large deformations and large real contact areas compared to metal-metal contact. Here, a deterministic model is proposed for the contact between rubber and metal surfaces, which takes into account the interaction between neighboring asperities. In this model, a description of the actual micro-contact is used instead of a summit which is a local maximum at the surface. Linear viscoelastic behavior, modeled by a three-element mechanical model, is assumed for the rubber. In the present model, the equations regarding the deformation due to a Hertzian pressure inside and outside the contact area have been modified for the viscoelastic case. The deterministic case is compared with the statistical one. Besides this, the deformation of the bulk material beneath the asperities is taken into account. The results reveal that the bulk deformation has a significant effect at higher nominal pressures.