ABSTRACT
Kummer (1966) showed that both these components of rubber and elastomer friction are manifestations of the same basic viscoelastic energy dissipation mechanism. Adhesion is caused by a dissipative stick-slip process on a molecular level, whilst hysteresis is the ability of elastomers to store elastic energy. When the stress is removed during travel across a rigid surface, elastomers do not return completely from their deformed to their original shape. The deformation frequency is defined as the sliding velocity divided by distance between surface asperities of the rigid surface (Moore, 1972). Thus, the hysteresis component of friction increases on finer surfaces; however, under lubricated conditions the requirements of drainage put a lower limit on the size of surface asperities.
