ABSTRACT
The functional requirement is basically that of parallel effects, that is the surface contact is in a normal direction and the profiles cannot be considered as series waveforms in time. Contact phenomena can best be approached by using two independent yet complementary considerations. There are a number of issues which need to be considered in contact situations. These include density of peaks or summits, and the distribution of their heights and shapes. Greenwood and Greenwood and Trip considerably simplified an understanding of the rough contact problem by showing that one of the contacting surfaces under certain conditions could always be considered flat and smooth. Seabra and Berthe have investigated effect of waviness in the pressure distribution in the contact zone. Early work concerned with dynamic vibrational behaviour of machine tools, realized the importance of the stiffness of bolted joints in the construction of the machines. The prediction and measurement of electrical contact resistance are easier than for their thermal counterparts.
