Substitutability analysis of a numerically simulated surface and an actual rough surface

This paper develops a method to generate a numerically simulated surface to replace an actual rough surface, and then the contact performance of the mating surfaces is analyzed. First, we use a 3D surface profilometer to obtain the morphology information of an actual rough surface. Second, a numerically simulated rough surface is generated by using the Gaussian simulation theory, which correspond to the same surface morphology features as the actual rough surface. Third, the reverse engineering technology is used to generate the rough surface model and the interface contact models for the morphology features of the actual rough surface and the numerically simulated surface, respectively. Finally, we compare the contact stiffness and the contact area of the numerically simulated surface and the actual rough surface. The mean errors of the contact pressure for the numerically simulated surface and the actual rough surface are 30.31% (grinding rough surface) and 25.12% (milling rough surface), and the mean errors of the contact area percentage for different contact states are 28.46%, 33.85%, and 35.51% (grinding rough surface) and 27.37%, 21.37%, and 23.42% (milling rough surface), respectively. These results indicate that there are differences between the surface morphology of the numerically simulated surface and the actual rough surface. Therefore, in terms of surface morphology, the numerically simulated surface cannot be used to replace the actual rough surface. This paper lays a theoretical foundation for the accurate substitution of an actual rough surface.