Flash temperature in sliding contacts: Comparing theory with experiments

The temperature increase in the contact regions between solids in sliding contact has a huge influence on friction and wear. Here, we test an analytical theory for the flash temperature, valid for randomly rough surfaces with multiscale roughness, by comparing the theory predictions with the experimental results of Sutter and Ranc for steel sliding on steel. The theory, which is based on the study of stress and temperature correlation functions, is valid for randomly rough surfaces with roughness on an arbitrary number of decades in length scale. Within the uncertainty of the experimental data (mainly the surface roughness power spectrum and the steel penetration hardness), there is good agreement between the theory and the experimental results.