Finite element contact analysis of fractal surfaces

The present study considers finite element analysis of non-adhesive, frictionless elastic/elastic–plastic contact between a rigid flat plane and a self-affine fractal rough surface using the commercial finite element package ANSYS. Three-dimensional rough surfaces are generated using a modified two-variable Weierstrass–Mandelbrot function with given fractal parameters. Parametric studies are done to consider the general relations between contact properties and key material and surface parameters. The present analysis is validated with available experimental results in the literature. Non-dimensional contact area and displacement are obtained as functions of non-dimensional load for varying fractal surface parameters in the case of elastic contact and for varying rates of strain hardening in the case of elastic–plastic contact of fractal surfaces.