Abstract
Tactile perception and friction can be modified by producing a deterministic surface topography. Change of surface feature arrangement and texture symmetry can produce an anisotropic frictional behaviour. It is generally achieved through skin hysteresis by promoting its deformation. This work investigates whether a bidirectional friction can be created with microscale ellipsoidal asperity textures, thus relying on the adhesive component of friction. For this purpose, four textured samples with various asperity dimensions were moulded with a silicone rubber having an elastic modulus comparable to that of the skin. Coefficient of friction measurements were conducted in-vivo in two sliding directions with a range of normal loads up to 4 N. Finite element method (FEM) was used to study elastic deformation effects, explain the observed friction difference, and predict surface material influence. Measurements performed perpendicular to the asperity major radii showed consistently higher friction coefficients than that during parallel sliding. For the larger asperity dimensions, a change of the sliding direction increased friction up to a factor of 2. The numerical analysis showed that this effect is mostly related to elastic asperity deflection. Bidirectional friction differences can be further controlled by asperity dimensions, spacing, and material properties.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by INTERREG V-A Deutschland-Nederland program MOVERO under the project number 142091.
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Dmitrii SERGACHEV. He obtained his joint M.Sc. degree in tribology of surfaces and interfaces from University of Coimbra, Portugal and University of Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2015. Currently, he is completing his Ph.D. and working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory for Surface Technology and Tribology, University of Twente. His research interests are surface texturing, contact mechanics, and skin friction.
David MATTHEWS. He received his Ph.D. degree in applied physics and mathematics from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in 2008. Following nine years in industry as a principal researcher at Tata Steel, he is now an associate professor in surface Design and engineering at the University of Twente, the Netherlands. His research interests surround the design and manufacture of surfaces for a wide range of applications and environments.
Emile VAN DER HEIDE. He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from University of Twente in 1995 and 2002, respectively. His current position is a professor, chair of Skin Tribology, Laboratory for Surface Technology and Tribology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente. He has received President’s International Fellowship 2016/2017 from Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research areas cover the surface engineering, bio-tribology, and contact mechanics.
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Sergachev, D., Matthews, D. & Van Der Heide, E. Design of bidirectional frictional behaviour for tactile contact using ellipsoidal asperity micro-textures. Friction 10, 762–771 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0527-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0527-z