Sphere and cylinder contact mechanics during slip

Using molecular dynamics (MD) we study the dependency of the contact mechanics on the sliding speed when an elastically soft slab (block) is sliding on a rigid substrate with a {\rm sin} (q_0 x)surface height profile. The atoms on the block interact with the substrate atoms by Lennard-Jones potentials. We consider contacts with and without adhesion. We found that the contact area and the friction force are nearly velocity independent for...