Experimental and numerical investigation on multiscale hysteresis friction on artificial printed surfaces

In order to investigate hysteresis friction separately from other friction contributions (mainly adhesive friction), linear friction tests are performed with cut out tread specimens from passenger car tires on 3D-printed sinusoidal surfaces under dry and wet conditions. In this work, a multiscale approach based on the finite element method (FEM) is used to reproduce the hysteresis friction features obtained in the laboratory. On each scale, finite element simulations at block level are evaluated at different contact pressure, sliding velocity and temperature conditions, which are homogenized with respect to time, to build up a friction characterization for the next coarser scale. The height difference correlation function is applied to consider microscopic asperities, which originate from the printing process. Using the WILLIAMS-LANDEL-FERRY equation, the thermal influence on the viscoelastic rubber material is taken into account. By comparing the output of the friction tests against the results of the multiscale simulations, an analysis of contact temperature as well as friction contribution of each length scale is enabled.