When Is Structural Lubricity Load Independent? The Role of Contact Geometry and Elastic Compliance
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866918343811792896 |
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| author | Gao, Hongyu |
| author_facet | Gao, Hongyu |
| contents | Using molecular dynamics simulations of an incommensurate Au(111)/graphite interface, we investigate the conditions under which structural lubricity produces load-independent friction. We show that strict load independence occurs only in laterally infinite, area-filling contacts, where dissipation is governed by phonon-mediated viscous coupling and the shear stress scales linearly with sliding velocity. Finite contacts with explicit boundary terminations exhibit substantially higher friction yet remain load independent up to a critical load. Load dependence arises only when elastic out-of-plane deformation near the contact line exceeds a critical amplitude, activating additional dissipation channels. These results demonstrate that contact geometry and local elastic compliance, rather than normal load itself, determine the onset and breakdown of load-independent structural lubricity. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_16474 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | When Is Structural Lubricity Load Independent? The Role of Contact Geometry and Elastic Compliance Gao, Hongyu Materials Science Using molecular dynamics simulations of an incommensurate Au(111)/graphite interface, we investigate the conditions under which structural lubricity produces load-independent friction. We show that strict load independence occurs only in laterally infinite, area-filling contacts, where dissipation is governed by phonon-mediated viscous coupling and the shear stress scales linearly with sliding velocity. Finite contacts with explicit boundary terminations exhibit substantially higher friction yet remain load independent up to a critical load. Load dependence arises only when elastic out-of-plane deformation near the contact line exceeds a critical amplitude, activating additional dissipation channels. These results demonstrate that contact geometry and local elastic compliance, rather than normal load itself, determine the onset and breakdown of load-independent structural lubricity. |
| title | When Is Structural Lubricity Load Independent? The Role of Contact Geometry and Elastic Compliance |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16474 |