When two objects touch, only a certain portion of their surface areas will be in contact with each other. This area of true contact, most often constitutes only a very small fraction of the apparent or ''nominal'' contact area. In relation to two contacting objects, the term Contact area refers to the fraction of the nominal area that consists of

atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, ...

s of one object in true contact with the atoms of the other object. Because objects are never perfectly flat due to

asperities In materials science, asperity, defined as "unevenness of surface, roughness, ruggedness" (from the Latin ''asper''—"rough"), has implications (for example) in physics and seismology. Smooth surfaces, even those polished to a mirror finish, a ...

, the actual contact area (on a

microscopic The microscopic scale () is the scale of objects and events smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye, requiring a lens or microscope to see them clearly. In physics, the microscopic scale is sometimes regarded as the scale be ...

scale) is usually much less than the contact area apparent on a

macroscopic The macroscopic scale is the length scale on which objects or phenomena are large enough to be visible with the naked eye, without magnifying optical instruments. It is the opposite of microscopic. Overview When applied to physical phenomena a ...

scale. Contact area may depend on the

normal force In mechanics, the normal force F_n is the component of a contact force that is perpendicular to the surface that an object contacts, as in Figure 1. In this instance '' normal'' is used in the geometric sense and means perpendicular, as oppos ...

between the two objects due to

deformation Deformation can refer to: * Deformation (engineering), changes in an object's shape or form due to the application of a force or forces. ** Deformation (physics), such changes considered and analyzed as displacements of continuum bodies. * Defor ...

. The contact area depends on the geometry of the contacting bodies, the load, and the material properties. The contact area between the two parallel cylinders is a narrow rectangle. Two, non-parallel cylinders have an elliptical contact area, unless the cylinders are crossed at 90 degrees, in which case they have a circular contact area. Two spheres also have a circular contact area.

Friction and contact area

It is an empirical fact for many materials that ''F'' = ''μN'', where ''F'' is the frictional force for sliding friction, ''μ'' is the

coefficient of friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...

, and ''N'' is the

. There isn't a simple derivation for sliding friction's independence from area.

Methods for determining contact area

One way of determining the actual contact area is to determine it indirectly through a physical process that depends on contact area. For example, the resistance of a wire is dependent on the cross-sectional area, so one may find the contact area of a metal by measuring the

current Currents, Current or The Current may refer to: Science and technology * Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas ** Air current, a flow of air ** Ocean current, a current in the ocean *** Rip current, a kind of water current ** Current (stre ...

that flows through that area (through the surface of an

electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials d ...

to another electrode, for example.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Contact Area Force

Friction and contact area

Methods for determining contact area

See also

References