Estimation of load-dependent contact area over length scales

The tribological characteristics of any tool, machined sliding and rolling element are not only a function of material properties. The mechanisms that occur in a tribological system, by their nature, are measured and interpreted on various length scales. With main focus on friction, the numerical tools and methods developed in the field of Multiscale Computational Tribology are used to study this, mainly in dry contacts. From macro- to meso-scale, various contact mechanic models will be applied to determine the contact area by studying computer generated rough surfaces. From nano- to meso-scale, the contact area is studied by estimating the electronic contribution to the real contact area on an ab-inito base.