Contact of Surfaces

Abstract

It is clear that any study of tribology must incorporate a detailed understanding of the mechanics of contact of solid bodies. This involves an understanding of the nature of the associated deformations and the stresses induced by any applied loading to bodies of a wide variety of geometric shapes. In particular we are concerned not only with the deformation and stresses at the surfaces of solids but also throughout the depth of the surface layers. Any load inducing a deformation of solids may readily be resolved into a normal and a tangential component, and it is generally convenient to consider these two influences separately with respect to the stresses and deformation which they induce, and then by superimposing the two obtain the total effect. In such cases the principle of superposition is acceptable since the systems are essentially statically determinate.