LAUSR

Purpose This paper aims to study the contact between rough cylindrical surfaces considering the elastic-plastic deformation of asperities. Design/methodology/approach The elastic deformation of the nominal surface of the curved surface is considered, the contact area is discretized by the calculus thought and then the nominal distance between two surfaces is obtained by iteration after the pressure distribution is assumed. On the basis of the Zhao, Maietta and Chang elastic-plastic model, the contact area and the contact pressure of the rough cylindrical surfaces are calculated by the integral method, and then the solution for the contact between rough cylindrical surfaces is obtained. Findings The contact characteristic parameters of smooth surface Hertz contact, elastic contact and elastic-plastic contact between rough cylindrical surfaces are calculated under different plastic indexes and loads, and the calculation results are compared and analyzed. The analysis shows that the solution considering the elastic-plastic deformation of asperities for the contact between rough cylindrical surfaces is scientific and rational. Originality/value This paper provides a new effective method for the calculation of the contact between rough cylindrical surfaces.