Theory of rubber friction and contact mechanics

When rubber slides on a hard, rough substrate, the surface asperities of the substrate exert oscillating forces on the rubber surface leading to energy dissipation via the internal friction of the rubber. I present a discussion of how the resulting friction force depends on the nature of the substrate surface roughness and on the sliding velocity. I consider in detail the case when the substrate surface has a self affine fractal structure. I also present a theory for the area of real contact, both for stationary and sliding bodies, with elastic or elastoplastic properties. The theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental observation. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.