Effect of Normal Contact Vibration on Nano-Scale Friction

Nano-Scale Effect in Adhesive Friction of Sliding Rough Surfaces

Study of contact and friction at multiple length scales is necessary for the effective design and analysis of surfaces in sliding microand nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). As loading forces decrease in such applications, the size of the asperity contacts tends to decrease into the nano scale regime. Also with the increase in surface area to volume ratio in such systems, the surface f...

Atomic-scale friction control by vibration using friction force microscope

Manipulation of friction at the nanoscale has been traditionally approached by chemical means (lubrication). Recent friction force microscopy (FFM) experiments demonstrated that it can be done mechanically by applying vibration to accessible elements of the system. This paper provides analytic understanding on why vibration can reduce friction based on a 1D model imitating the FFM tip moving on...

Friction Laws for Elastic Nano-Scale Contacts

– The effect of surface curvature on the law relating frictional forces F with normal load L is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations as a function of surface symmetry, adhesion, and contamination. Curved, non-adhering, dry, commensurate surfaces show a linear dependency, F ∝ L, similar to dry flat commensurate or amorphous surfaces and macroscopic surfaces. In contrast, curved, non-ad...

The effect of surface chemistry and structure on nano-scale adhesion and friction

Adhesion and friction are commonly observed to be correlated in many systems, particularly at the nanoscale where adhesion plays a substantial role. In this paper, we examine an unusual lack of correlation between nanoscale adhesion and friction. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is a unique thin film material that can exhibit both low friction and high hardness via easy, low-cost deposition methods. W...

Plasticity aspects of nano scale contact