Electrical contact resistance, thermal contact conductance and elastic incremental stiffness for a cluster of microcontacts: Asymptotic modelling

Abstract

The paper concerns the problem of electrical conductance through a multiple discrete contact interface between two elastic bodies pressed against one another. Mathematically, similar problems arise in the theory of heat conduction between the contacting bodies in a vacuum as well as in the study of the incremental elastic contact problems with application to the elasticity-conductivity cross-property connections. The electrical contact resistance, thermal contact conductance and elastic incremental stiffness of a cluster of microcontacts have been expressed in terms of the harmonic capacity of the cluster. Several asymptotic models for approximate evaluating the contact resistance of a cluster of microcontacts have been constructed and their accuracy has been estimated. © The author 2010.