Linear relationship of normal and tangential contact stiffness with load.

Measurements with digital image correlation of normal and tangential contact stiffness for ground Ti-6Al-4V interfaces suggest a linear relationship between normal contact stiffness and normal load and a linear relationship between tangential contact stiffness and tangential load. The normal contact stiffness is observed approximately to be inversely proportional to an equivalent surface roughness parameter, defined for two surfaces in contact. The ratio of the tangential contact stiffness to the normal contact stiffness at the start of tangential loading is seen to be given approximately by the Mindlin ratio. A simple empirical model is proposed to estimate both the normal and tangential contact stiffness at different loads for a ground Ti-6Al-4V interface, on the basis of the equivalent surface roughness and the coefficient of friction.