Most contact analyses assume that the surface heights and peak (summit) height distributions follow a single modal distribution, Gaussian or non-Gaussian. However, height distributions of many surfaces follow multi-modal distributions. In this study, for the first time, algorithms are developed to generate various bimodal surfaces on the computer. Statistical analyses and contact analyses of these surfaces have been carried out. The present algorithms are applied to particulate tapes and head-finishing processes to illustrate the effect of the bimodal distribution on the contact performance. From these analyses, an optimum bimodal roughness distribution is predicted for minimum friction and wear.
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