Rolling and Sliding Friction of Indentors on Rubber

Most recent technical publication son the friction of rubber have focussed on the application of viscoelastic theory to estimate the frictional force needed to induce sliding between a rigid surface and a rubber surface, at lest one of which has fractal or statistically defined roughness. In contrast, in this paper we investigate the force associated with sliding or rolling of a single rigid indentor of simple geometry on a plane rubber surface. Through experimental observations and analyses tentative conclusions are reached and questions raised that provide a different perspective on rubber friction.