Pressure required to flatten an elastic random rough profile

This paper considers a semi-infinite elastic solid, whose surface has a random rough profile, and which is flattened by a smooth rigid plane. It is confirmed that, for the type of profile considered, which has characteristics typical of many found in engineering practice, complete flattening cannot be achieved with a finite mean pressure applied to the rigid plane. If the components of roughness with a ‘frequency’ above some cut-off value are ignored, a finite mean pressure is sufficient. By varying the cut-off frequency, an asymptotic form for the mean pressure can be found, and the effect of the high-frequency components can be investigated. Some implications for the creation of static seals are discussed.