The geometry of surfaces contact

Abstract

This contribution deals with a geometrical exact description of contact between two given surfaces which are defined by the vector functions. These surfaces are substituted at a contact point by approximate surfaces of the second order in accordance with the Taylor series and consequently there is derived a differential surface of these second order surfaces. Knowledge of principal normal curvatures, their directions and the tensor (Dupin) indicatrix of this differential surface are necessary for description of contact of these surfaces. For description of surface geometry the first and the second surface fundamental tensor and a further methods of the differential geometry are used. A geometrical visualisation of obtained results of this analysis is made. Method and results of this study will be applied to contact analysis of tooth screw surfaces of screw machines.