The Mechanism of Dry Friction

The investigation which led to this report was undertaken because there is a disagreement between the generally accepted theory of dry friction and observed events. The time-honored concept of the mechanism of dry friction is reviewed, and a radically different mechanism and theory of dry friction is presented. This new concept holds the friction force to be composed of not only a force required to shear and deform asperities of the surfaces, but also of a force needed to overcome adhesion of the surfaces. In addition, the friction force is considered to be independent of the normal load, directly proportional to the actual surface contact area, and dependent on rubbing velocity.