Shear stiffness of a solid-solid multicontact interface

The macroscopic multicontact interface between two rough nominally flat surfaces is a common object whose physics is only partly understood. This paper is aimed at giving experimental evidence for the linear elastic response of a multicontact interface to a moderate shear force, i.e. below the threshold for incipient sliding. Non-intuitive properties of the interfacial shear stiffness are exhibited, in the spirit of macroscopic friction laws, which should be of practical interest when evaluating the performances of a built-up system. These are explained qualitively within the random surface framework prevailing in multicontact mechanics, and a numerical treatment of the three-dimensional profile of a real rough surface is proposed, which enables a direct quantitative simulation of the elastic stiffness. This is found to be compatible with experimental data on a polymer glass and an aluminium alloy. The sensitivity of interfacial stiffness measurements is discussed, and illustrated by the experimental evidence of the plastic deformation of aluminium alloy asperities under light nominal pressure. This emphasizes the need for an elastoplastic description of asperity deformation within a multicontact interface.