The effect of surface roughness and contaminant on the dynamic friction of porcelain tile
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 8, 2026

Impact of Fabrication Techniques and Polishing Procedures on Surface Roughness of Denture Base Resins
Published on: January 17, 2025
1Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA. wen.chang@libertymutual.com
Abstract:
Surface roughness affects friction, but it is not clear what surface roughness characteristics are better correlated with friction. The average of the maximum height above the mean line in each cut-off length (Rpm) and the arithmetical average of surface slope (deltaa) had the highest correlation with dynamic friction coefficient in a previous study. The previous study was expanded to two different footwear materials and four different contaminants on a porcelain tile in the current investigation. The results showed that dynamic friction decreased as the interface speed and glycerol content in the contaminant were increased due to the hydrodynamic lubrication effect. Deltaa had the highest correlation with friction for most of the test conditions with neolite. For Four S rubber, friction coefficient appeared to have the highest correlation with the parameters related to the surface void volume at 30% glycerol content, related to the surface slope at 70 and 85% glycerol contents, and related to the peak to valley distance at 99% glycerol content. A good indicator of surface slip resistance probably should consist of the surface parameters representing the surface slope, the surface void volume and the surface peak-to-valley distance with the coefficients determined by the system parameters.
Related Concept Videos
Characteristics of Dry Friction
Before the wheelbarrow starts moving, the static frictional force acts tangentially to the contact surface, opposing the force that is about to induce the motion. This frictional force prevents the...
Frictional Force
Dry Friction
To illustrate this concept, imagine a wooden crate resting on a rough, non-uniform horizontal surface. When an external force is applied to...
Kinetic Friction
Static and Kinetic Frictional Force
However, if two systems are in contact and are stationary relative to one...
Abrasion Resistance of Concrete
One such test is the revolving disc test, where three plates...

