Rolling Friction

Jayadeep U.B.
PhD (MED) IISc

Outline
Introduction
Case Studies

Free or Inertial Rolling

Accelerated Rolling
Rolling with Deformation

I.
II.
III.

Mechanisms of Rolling Friction

Interfacial slip in the Contact Area

Adhesion Hysteresis
Effect of Surface Roughness
Elastic and Plastic Deformation
Electric Double Layer

Concluding Remarks

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Introduction

Invention of Wheel Difference between

Rolling and Sliding Friction
Energy loss is much higher for sliding friction
compared to rolling friction, when the
components are reasonably rigid.
Highly counter-intuitive: static friction has
almost no effect on rolling friction!
Combined effect of a number of energy
dissipating effects
We do not generally talk about a rolling
friction force!
Rolling friction could be a misnomer;
Resistance to Rolling is much better

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I: Free Rolling or Inertial

Rolling

Continuum
assumption
Rigid Cylindrical Roller
Rigid Horizontal
Surface
Velocity remains
constant
FBD gives:

N=W
No Frictional Force
No Rolling Friction

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N
Free body

II-A: Accelerated Rolling

down an incline

Continuum assumption
Rigid Cylindrical Roller
Rigid Inclined Surface
Velocity increases
FBD gives:

N = W cos
f N = W cos
f = N leads to slipping
rf=I
No Rolling Friction

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,
v,a

N f
Free body
diagram

II-B: Accelerated Rolling on

a Horizontal Surface

Continuum assumption
Rigid Cylindrical Roller
Rigid Horizontal
Surface
Velocity increases
FBD gives:

N=W
Ff =ma
rf=I
f N
f = N leads to slipping
No Rolling Friction

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v,a

W
F
f
N
Free body

Rolling with Deformation

Continuum
assumption
Rigid Cylindrical Roller
Deformable
Horizontal Surface
Velocity decreases
FBD gives:

N cos = W
N sin = ma
d N cos r N sin = I
No Sliding Friction

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v
a
W
d

~r

Free body

N
7

Mechanisms of Rolling Friction:

Coulomb Laws & Interfacial Slip

In case of hypothetical continuum, the only

mechanism for rolling resistance is what we
discussed
Coulomb (1781): For same materials, resistance
to rolling is proportional to weight and inversely
proportional to diameter.
Reynolds (1876): Slipping & friction at the contact
(due to deformation) is the reason for Rolling
Friction (Hence so-called!) and Heathcote (1921):

Explained difference in rolling resistance in hard and soft

materials
But, lubrication never significantly reduces rolling
friction!
It was explained that reducing friction increases slip, and
slipping area.

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Molecular Adhesion
Hysteresis

Tomlinson (1929):

Micro-slip suggested by Reynolds is extremely

small to account for experimental values of
rolling friction.
Reynolds type micro-slip should have
produced fretting, which was not observed.
Surface atoms are pulled away from
equilibrium position; exceeding a critical
distance they flick back.
Hysteresis during this process leads to energy
dissipation, accounting for rolling friction
Insignificant influence of lubricant films on
rolling friction can not be explained

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Adhesion Hysteresis An
illustration
F

Hysteresis Loop

Motion

K
r
Steel
Surface
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Magnet

x
Ignoring gravity, force
is given by:

F = K C/r2
10

Effect of Surface
Roughness

Bikerman (1949):

Based on experiments by rolling stainless

steel balls on a brass plate
For the roughness values considered (0.02
3 microns), higher surface roughness
increases rolling friction.
Balls can rest on hills, while tilting the plate.
Other effects like elastic deformation,
adhesion, capillary forces etc. found to be
negligible.

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Elastic & Plastic

Deformation

Eldredge & Tabor (1955), Tabor (1955):

For metals, plastic deformation is the

predominant mechanism during initial
traversals.
Plastic deformation, and hence rolling friction,
reduces on repeated traversals on same track.
Elastic hysteresis accounts for the rolling friction
in later traversals
Rolling friction is independent of presence of
lubricants/greases effect of slip is minute
Work hardening promotes the change of
mechanism from plastic deformation to elastic
hysteresis
Elastic hysteresis is the major mechanism of
rolling friction of elastomers like rubber

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Elastic Hysteresis

Greenwood, Minshall, Tabor (1961):

Hysteresis loops from more complicated stress cycles

required for rolling friction
Obtained expressions, which correctly predicted
dependence of rolling friction on load, diameter and
elastic constants of rubber

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Effect of Electric Double

Layer

Derjaguin & Smilga (1963):

When dielectric/semi-conductor
cylinder rests on a metal surface (or
vice versa), electric double-layer is
created.
While rolling, electric double-layer is
not symmetric about mid-point.
This asymmetry leads to a moment on
cylinder, leading to rolling friction.
Reduction in surface conductivity and
gas pressure increases rolling friction.

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Crack Propagation (Peel

Adhesion)

Kendall (1975):

Rolling is similar to two cracks propagating in

same direction & same speed one opening and
another closing for smooth roller & surface.
Force required can be calculated from fracture
mechanics.
Rolling friction shown to be connected to peel
adhesion dwell time (speed) affects friction.
Energy required for breaking bonds is much
higher than that obtained while making the bond.
Explains unexpectedly high rolling friction in
rolling smooth glass cylinder over a smooth
rubber surface, drastic reduction due to
contamination in this case & static rolling friction,
and predicts stick-slip in rolling at high speeds
giving noise.

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Concluding Remarks

Rolling Friction is used to account for a number of

energy dissipation mechanisms
Rolling Friction might be a misnomer; resistance
to rolling is a better terminology
From a pure continuum mechanics perspective,
rolling friction can be explained using
deformations.
Physical mechanisms of rolling friction include:

Plastic deformation
Elastic Hysteresis
Adhesion Hysteresis
Electrostatic (Electric Double layer) effects
Interfacial slip and many others

Coulombs law is only very approximately true.

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References

Shames, I.H.: Engineering Mechanics

Statics and Dynamics, Prentice Hall of
India
Reynolds, O.: On Rolling Friction, Phil Trans
166 (1876), 155-174.
Tomlinson, G.: A Molecular Theory of
Friction, Phil. Mag. 7 (1929), 905
Eldredge K.R., Tabor, D.: Mechanism of
Rolling Friction I. The Plastic Range, Proc.
R. Soc. Lond. A (1955) 229, 181-198
Tabor, D.: Mechanism of Rolling Friction I.
The Elastic Range, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A
229 (1955), 198-220.

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References

Derjaguin B.V. Smilga V. P.: Prog. Surf.

Sci. 45 (1994) 108.
Kendall, K.: Rolling Friction and Adhesion
between Smooth Solids, Wear 33 (1975)
351-358.
Bikerman, J.J.: Effect of Surface
Roughness on Rolling Friction, J. Appl.
Phys. 20 (1949) 285-296.
Greenwood, J.A., Minshall, H., Tabor, D.:
Hysteresis Losses in Rolling and Sliding
Friction, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 259
(1961), 480-507.

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