| "Microscopic Mechanisms for Friction"
J. B. Sokoloff
This work deals with theoretical studies of wear-less friction between solid surfaces. The methods of study involve both analytic methods based on scaling theory, numerical model studies and simulations. The combined use of these methods allows us to gain insights which would be impossible to obtain with one method alone. The simulation and other numerical studies involve the use of an adiabatic limit simulation method for studying friction in the slow speed sliding limit, which reduces the calculation of the friction to the problem of locating potential minima and potential minima which become unstable, at the interface between two sliding solids, and the use of the elasticity Green’s function to allow one to study friction between elastic solids which are much too thick to study by molecular dynamics. Two of the problems considered are studies of a proposed mechanism for the reduction of friction by a lubricant, based on collective pinning theory and
studies of a mechanism for why the thin films in quartz crystal microbalance experiments, designed for studying friction, are able to slide under the exceedingly weak inertial forces exerted on the films when quartz crystal oscillates.
1. C. Daly, J. Zhang and J. B. Sokoloff, "Friction in the Zero Sliding Velocity Limit," Physical Review E68, 066118(2003).
2. J.Zhang and J.B.Sokoloff, "Adiabatic Molecular Dynamics Simulation Method Studies of Kinetic Friction," submitted to Physical Review E (in press).
3. J.B. Sokoloff, "Theory of Lubrication due to Collective Pinning," Physical Review E 71, 056107 (2005).
4. J. B. Sokoloff, "Theory of the Effects of Multiscale Surface Roughness and Stiffness on Static Friction," submitted to Physical Review E.
5. J. B. Sokoloff and I. Webman (deceased), "Theory of De-Pinning of Monolayers Films Absorbed on a Quartz Crystal Microbalance," submitted to Applied Physics Letters.
A full description of Professor Sokoloff's research can be found at http://www.physics.neu.edu/Department/Vtwo/faculty/sokoloff/research.pdf |
