Single-asperity contributions to multi-asperity wear simulated with molecular dynamics

We use a molecular dynamics approach to simulate the wear of a rough ferrite surface due to multiple hard, abrasive particles under variation of normal pressure, grinding direction, and particle geometry. By employing a clustering algorithm that incorporates some knowledge about the grinding process such as the main grinding direction, we can break down the total wear volume into contributions from the individual abrasive particles in a time-resolved fashion. The resulting analysis of the simulated grinding process allows statements on wear particle generation, distribution, and stability depending on the initial topography, the grinding angle, the normal pressure, as well as the abrasive shape and orientation with respect to the surface.