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Radius of a Contact Area between two spheres related to the force

Description

Contact mechanics is the study of the deformation of solids that touch each other at one or more points. Hertzian contact stress refers to the localized stresses that develop as two curved surfaces come in contact and deform slightly under the imposed loads. This amount of deformation is dependent on the modulus of elasticity of the material in contact. The area of contact between two spheres is a circle. The radius of the circle is related to the applied load.

Related formulas

Variables

aRadius of the circle (contact area) (m)
FForce applied on the contact area (N)
REffective Radius (m)
EModulus of elasticity ( Young's modulus) (Pa)