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Physical Society Colloquium
M. H. Mueser
Institut fur Physik We experience situations of solid-on-solid friction without being aware of it many times throughout the day. It allows our jam jar to stay on the breakfast table and people to walk up a hill and to come back down without sliding. Yet, despite our familiarity with the effects of friction, fundamental questions remain unanswered. The atomic origin of well-established phenomenological friction laws is still under controversy. Understanding these atomic origins is also of technological interest, as in one example, friction induced wear is the main factor limiting the life span of a hard disk. Many explanations of macroscopic friction laws, which seemed to be well-established until recently, have been called into question by new experimental results. Computer simulations have also revealed flaws in previous theoretical approaches. In this talk, different possible friction mechanisms will be discussed. Special attention will be given to how computer simulations can be used to find relevant friction mechanisms.
Monday, January 28th 2002, 15:30 |