Friction of rough surfaces on ice: Experiments and modeling

Over a century of scientific research on the sliding friction of ice has not been enough to develop an exhaustive explanation for the tribological behavior of frozen water. It has been recognized that ice shows different friction regimes, but a detailed description of all the different phenomena and processes occurring at the interface, including the effect of surface roughness of both the ice and the antagonist material is still missing. In this work the effect of surface morphology on the friction of steel/ice interfaces is studied. Different degrees of random roughness on steel surfaces are introduced and the friction coefficient is measured over a wide range of temperature and sliding velocity. Correlation between the surface roughness and the lubrication regime and friction coefficient is discussed. A theoretical model is developed in order to explain this correlation, and to control the tribological behavior of the system by a proper selection of surface roughness parameters.