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Virginia Tech

Analytical Modeling for Sliding Friction of Rubber-Road Contact

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Rubber friction is an important aspect to tire engineers, material developers and pavement engineers because of its importance in the estimation of forces generated at the contact, which further helps in optimizing tire and vehicle performances, and to estimate tire wear. It mainly depends on the material properties, contact mechanics and operating condition. There are two major contributions to rubber friction, due to repeated viscoelastic deformation from undulations of surface called hysteresis and due to Vander Waals interaction of the molecules called adhesion. The study focuses on analytical modeling of friction for stationary sliding of rubber block on rough surfaces. Two novel approaches are discussed and compared. Frictional shear stress is obtained from the energy dissipated at the contact interface due to the elastic deformations of rubber block at different length scales. Contact mechanics theories based on continuity approach combined with stochastic processes to estimate the real contact area, mean penetration depth and true stresses at contact depending on operating conditions. Rubber properties are highly temperature dependent. Temperature model developed based on heat diffusion relation is integrated to consider the effects of temperature rise due to frictional heating. Model results are validated with theoretical results of literature. Simulation results of friction model is obtained for Compound A sliding on rough surface. Material properties are obtained using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis and Time temperature superposition. Influence of the friction models under different conditions are discussed. Model results are validated with experimental data from Dynamic friction tester on a 120-grit surface followed by future works.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Mechanical Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2017

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Vadakkeveetil, Sunish
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Taheri, Saied
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Sandu, Corina
  • Ferris, John B.

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en_US

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-04252017-145219
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/79596

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Vadakkeveetil, Sunish. Analytical Modeling for Sliding Friction of Rubber-Road Contact. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/79596