Atomic-scale study of friction and energy dissipation

This paper presents an analysis of the interaction energy and various forces between two surfaces, and the microscopic study of friction. Atomic-scale simulations of dry sliding friction and boundary lubrication are based on the classical molecular dynamics (CMD) calculations using realistic empirical potentials. The dry sliding of a single metal asperity on an incommensurate substrate surface exhibits a quasi-periodic variation of the lateral force with two different stick–slip stage involving two structural transformation followed by a wear. The contact area of the asperity increases discontinuously with increasing normal force. Xe atoms placed between two atomically flat Ni surfaces screen the Ni–Ni interaction, decrease the corrugation of the potential energy as well as the friction force at submonolayer coverage. We present a phononic model of energy dissipation from an asperity to the substrates. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.