Rough contact mechanics models: recent advances and future perspectives

In this contribution, we first review the methodologies classically used to solve contact mechanics problems when specifically considering the influence of surface roughness. The need to develop methods that allow to efficiently and accurately capture the effect of surface roughness while solving engineering problems at larger scales is then introduced, and an overview of the recent advances made in this area is provided. Particular attention is given to the different methods that allow to solve multi- scale problems invoking different assumptions, and to the possibility to exploit some of the recently proposed numerical methods to solve multi-field problems and include important nonlinearities, which must be explicitly modeled to provide the highest degree of fidelity to the proposed modeling techniques. The content aims at providing the ideal starting point for researchers interested in developing advanced modeling tools to improve our understanding of how contact mechanics affects the performance of engineering components, so that predictive capabilities can be embedded in the design stage.