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Self-affine elastic contacts: percolation and leakage
Wolf B Dapp1, Andreas Lücke, Bo N J Persson
1Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Institute for Advanced Simulation, FZ Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|September 26, 2012
Summary
Elastic deformation significantly reduces fluid leakage in seals with rough surfaces. This effect is observed even away from the percolation threshold, improving seal reliability.
Area of Science:
- Tribology
- Fluid Dynamics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Understanding fluid flow through seals with rough surfaces is crucial for engineering applications.
- Traditional models often overlook the impact of elastic deformation on surface contact and leakage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of elastic deformation on fluid flow and leakage in seals with randomly rough, self-affine surfaces.
- To develop a reliable method for estimating leakage in such systems.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations were employed to model fluid flow at the interfaces of elastic solids.
- Persson's contact mechanics theory and a modified Bruggeman effective-medium solution of the Reynolds equation were utilized.
Main Results:
- Elastic deformation was found to lower the critical contact area for percolation compared to traditional models.
- Leakage through contacts was suppressed by elastic deformation, even significantly below the percolation threshold.
Conclusions:
- Elastic deformation plays a critical role in reducing fluid leakage in seals with rough surfaces.
- A combined approach using contact mechanics and effective-medium theory provides reliable leakage estimates.
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