Simulation of non-round particles in tribological three-body systems

Summary

Particles between the contact interfaces of two components in relative motion are present in many technical applications and can strongly influence the system behavior. In this context, the focus is often on the investigation of wear and damage. In addition to such undesirable phenomena, however, there is also the targeted use of hard particles, for example in the lapping process. In lapping, hard particles are intentionally inserted between a lapping disc and the workpiece surface to be processed in order to cause material removal with the help of the particles and to improve the morphology of the workpiece surface for certain applications. Many simulations of such tribological systems are based on the assumption of spherical particles. However, both, size and shape of the particles have an essential effect on the system behavior. Here, an approach is presented in which hard, arbitrarily shaped particles in tribological contacts can be studied a priori using the finite element method by performing indentation simulations for various particle orientations. Based on the results, an orientation-dependent particle model is created for simulations of the overall system, which includes particles in narrow gaps. This modular design allows direct control in the implementation of phenomenological effects and new insights into the behavior of such systems, as well as the estimation of the resulting surface topography.

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