Tuning macroscopic sliding friction at soft contact interfaces: interaction of bulk and surface heterogeneities

Macroscopic frictional response of soft interfaces is strongly governed by the interaction of surface heterogeneities such as micro-texture features with bulk heterogeneities such as voids or inclusions beneath the highly deformable surface. This microscopic interaction manifests itself on the macroscale as an interface response that is reminiscent of stick-slip. Consequently, the accompanying macroscopic friction signal exhibits strong oscillations around a mean value, which itself significantly differs from its microscopic value due to finite deformations. In this work, a mechanism is proposed which enables the tuning of the macroscopic friction signal of soft interfaces. Specifically, it is demonstrated that optimally positioning subsurface particles in the vicinity of micro-texture features can significantly reduce observed oscillations, thereby allowing control of macroscopic sliding friction. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd