Simulation of random surface roughness-induced contact vibrations at hertzian contacts during steady sliding

Random normal contact vibrations, excited by surface irregularities swept through the contact region of Hertzian contacts during sliding, are studied using digital simulation techniques. The input disturbances are modeled as random time processes with specified spectral content in the spatial wavenumber and frequency domains. The Hertzian contact stiffness is modeled directly or through a bilinear approximation. The contact vibration spectra and resulting mean square contact loading are obtained from the simulations. A comparison with previous measurements shows good agreement between the simulation and experimental results.