Frictional contact of elastomer materials on rough rigid surfaces

The true frictional behaviour of rubber on rough rigid tracks is still an open question in many practical applications. Three main influence factors are analysed in this work, specifically hysteric friction, adhesion and thermomechanical coupling. Although all those influences occur combined in reality, the used Finite Element models enable the separation of these factors and a better understanding of the principle mechanisms. To cover the roughness character of the track and the viscous material properties a multi scale method is developed and applied, which transmits a fraction law derived from the lower scales to the current contact zone. Additionally, the model is enhanced by an adhesional contact formulation and a thermomechanically coupled material model. The energy dissipation due to permanent loading and unloading generates a considerable heating of the material, which changes the stiffness properties of the bulk and therefore the resulting friction coefficient.