Contact area between cylinders in rolling contact

The contact area between two rollers or cylinders was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical investigation was based on Hertzian theory, while the experimental method used was based on the measurement of contact resistances.

The variables in the investigation were the applied force, skew angles between roller axes, and roller diameters. The experimental results showed contact areas much smaller than predicted by Hertzian theory. This was expected, as Hertzian theory does not account for the rough surfaces of real bodies.

Extensive tables of Hertzian contact areas for various roller sizes and skew angles are included.