Rolling Friction of a Hard Cylinder over a Viscoelastic Material

Abstract

The rolling friction of a hard cylinder over a viscoelastic material is worked out in terms of the bulk properties of the material. It is found that the rolling friction has a maximum at a velocity corresponding to the peak of the relaxation time distribution. Both the load required to maintain the cylinder at constant depth of indentation and the coefficient of friction are dependent on the velocity of rolling. The shape of the rolling friction versus velocity curve is a first approximation to the distribution curve of relaxation times, indicating that rolling friction measurements can be used to determine the distribution experimentally.