It is well known that roughness parameters such as slopes, asperity densiti
es and curvatures, which are needed to calculate contact mechanics, are not
intrinsic properties of the surface but depend on the sampling interval. A
method for choosing this sampling interval is proposed, based on Archard's
observation that repetitive contact must be elastic. From a description of
the rough surface as a self-affine fractal, the second moment of the power
spectrum can be expressed in terms of fractal parameters which are intrins
ic properties of the surface. The moment integral is then solved for its lo
wer limit, which defines the tribologically appropriate sampling interval.
Thus a relationship can be derived between three dimensionless numbers: the
ratio of this critical wavelength to the topothesy; the fractal dimension;
and the material property ratio. Measurements on two commercial hard disk
drives are interpreted in terms of the model, and it is predicted that unde
r realistic operating loads the real separation between slider and disk at
rest is about 100 nm, with between 40,000 and XD,000 discrete contacts of 1
2-15 nm radius. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.