Features of a Finite Element Solution to Calculating Real Contact Area of Rough Bodies

Precision engineering predicts thermal and electrical contact conduction as well as friction and wear of instrument parts by analyzing contact mechanics. Real contact area is a key parameter for such an analysis. In this article we describe a method to determine the real contact area of the interaction of two rough bodies under the external pressure. Using micron-sized bodies contact example we studied the effect of the mesh density on the result. The article helps choose the mesh density to reduce calculation errors. We compared the calculation results for the first and second level roughness models. Our findings show that, disregarding the indentation size effect, the real contact area does not change substantially when choosing a model with the second level roughness.

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