The paper employs a rough-surface numerical elastic contact method designed to analyze Hertzian elastic contact effects of surface coatings. In particular the paper explores the differences in the surface contact mechanics and the resulting sub-surface stresses experienced over a range of differing coating material-properties, thickness, and machined roughness levels in a quantitative manner. The effect of a range of surface roughness properties and in particular root mean square roughness (σ) and correlation length $β*,$ on the magnitude and depth of maximum shear stresses in the layer under individual asperities is investigated. This is done for a hard and stiff, and also for a soft and compliant coating, and for two coating thicknesses in each case. The results suggest that the magnitude of the local shear stress increases with increasing ratio $σ/β*$ approximately linearly. The depth of the maximum local shear stress is found to correlate best with $β*,$ however a further clear trend is observed between this depth and the number of profile peaks. The depth also shows a relation to the ratio $σ/β*$ but the correlation in this case is weaker with significant deviations. Neither the magnitude nor the depth of shear stresses shows any significant trend in relation to the roughness (σ) alone. The tensile stresses at the interface, and the subsequent potential for delamination, are also investigated and found to be significant. Approximate correlation between the magnitude of interface tensile stress and root mean square roughness is achieved, but no clear trend in relation to correlation length is evident.

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