The effect of normal stress on the real area of contact during frictional sliding in rocks

The real area of contact during frictional sliding has been determined as a function of changing normal stress in triaxial experiments through the use of thermodyes. Utilizing the technique, described by Teufel and Logan in 1978, with saw-cut surfaces inclined 35° to the load axis, determinations were made for monolithologic sliding of Tennessee sandstone and Indiana limestone and dilithologic sliding of the same rocks. Confining pressures to 200 MPa were investigated at a constant shortening rate of 10^–2 mm/sec and at room temperature. Direct measurements were made of single-asperity areas and the asperity density. The product of these measurements gives the percent area of real contact across the sliding surface. Single-asperity area and density are found to remain relatively constant during the displacement. Single-asperity areas are in the ranges of 0.4 to 6×10^–2 mm² for sandstone, 0.8 to 2×10^–2 mm² for limestone, and 0.2 to 24×10^–2 mm² for sandstone sliding against limestone. These values are smaller than the grain size of either rock. The values increase with increasing normal stress for both monolithologic and dilithologic sliding. In sandstone the asperity density increases from about 0.8 to 2.75 contacts per square millimeter in a logarithmic fashion. Monolithologic limestone has values of about 0.9 contacts per square millimeter and does not show significant change with increasing normal stress. The percent area of real contact increases in all cases, with average maximum values of 16% of the apparent area at a normal stress of 374 MPa in sandstone, 18% at 25 MPa in limestone, and 22% at 123 MPa in the dilithologic specimens. The normal stress recalculated for the real area of contact approaches the unconfined compressive strength for sandstone and limestone.