Los Alamos Scientists Create Atom-Scale Models of Friction

摘要

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists are using powerful computers to create atom-scale models of friction. Researchers have presented calculations that describe the forces between two bodies as they are pushed across one another. "The idea is to use the microscopic simulations to perfect our understanding of how materials in friction behave so we can apply that understanding to the more familiar simulations of large-scale interactions," said researcher Jim Hammerberg. Despite centuries of research, the theory behind friction is complex; there are little data to help model-builders understand what happens in a few bil-lionths of a second as metals slide past each other at the high velocities relevant for many industrial and military applications.