This study investigates the influence of groove width on contact characteristics and vibration behaviour in 45 steel-chloroprene rubber friction pairs through numerical simulations and reciprocating friction tests. Results demonstrate that grooves interrupt continuous contact stress distribution via area-loss effects, mitigating stress concentration intensity and vibrational continuity. However, excessive groove width exacerbates over-groove impact phenomena. Numerical analysis reveals that contact stress decreases by 28.6%-49.7% as groove width increases from 400 μm to 800 μm, with minimal over-groove impact. Conversely, 1,000-2,000 μm grooves intensify edge stress concentration and vibration amplitudes due to pronounced over-groove impacts. Experimental measurements confirm 5.9%-11.3% and 17.8%-23.1% increases in absolute average acceleration amplitude and root mean square (RMS) for 1,000-2,000 μm grooves compared to 800 μm, validating the degradation mechanism. The medium groove width (800 μm) achieves an optimal balance between interfacial stress optimisation and vibration suppression, significantly improving interfacial contact behaviour.
Shi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.