On the Validation of a Multiphysics Theory for a Static Contact With Rough Surfaces

In an effort to address the validation of a recently developed multifield and multiscale rough contact theory we are applying it for a particular experiment. The experiment involves the contact between two hollow cylinders with an annular disk in between them. The contact surface is rough and the entire stack is exposed to compressive mechanical load and a high electric current pulse. Solving the necessary multi-physics partial differential equations leads to establishing the spatiotemporal distribution of relevant fields and the identification of the contact resistance as a function of mechanical pressure and current. In addition to providing typical results for all selected fields present during the experiment and the simulation, we also provide a comparison between the experimentally acquired resistance histories with the numerically derived ones to address validation aspects of the general multiphysics contact theory.