Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tactile friction and perception of UV-curable coatings and their relation to physical surface parameters and contact mechanic simulation

  • Published:
Journal of Coatings Technology and Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, the results of new investigations on the relationship between physical surface parameters of polymer-based coatings, skin hydration levels and tactile friction are presented. For this purpose, the chemical composition of the investigated coatings was varied on the basis of the curing and binding agent and also with respect to the addition of selected fillers. This allowed the adjustment of various surface parameters such as hardness, surface wettability and roughness over a wide range. Tribological tests were carried out in which the coefficient of friction between the finger pad and the respective coating was measured for different skin hydration levels. A specially developed setup was used that minimized changing skin hydration levels during the experiments that would impede reproducible friction measurements. While for dry skin the perceived friction correlates well to the coefficient of friction and surface hardness, this is not the case for moist finger skin. The results are explained under the assumption of adhesion dominated friction and the application of the Hertz contact theory. This finding was further investigated through contact mechanic simulations using the finite element method (FEM). To this end, the contact area formation dependence on the reaction force was studied for surfaces of different hardness and skin with different mechanical properties reflecting various hydration levels. The results qualitatively confirmed the experimental findings and the analysis based on the Hertz contact theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wongsriruksa, S, Howes, P, Conreen, M, Miodownik, M, “The Use of Physical Property Data to Predict the Touch Perception of Materials.” Mater. Design, 42 238–244 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Chen, X, “Exploring Relationships Between Touch Perception and Surface Physical Properties.” Int. J. Design, 3 (2) 67–76 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Okamoto, S, Nagano, H, Yamada, Y, “Psychophysical Dimensions of Tactile Perception of Textures.” IEEE Trans. Haptics, 6 (1) 81–93 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Derler, S, Rossi, RM, Rotaru, G-M, “Understanding the Variation of Friction Coefficients of Human Skin as a Function of Skin Hydration and Interfacial Water Films.” Proceed. IMechE, 229 (3) 285–293 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Pasumarty, SM, Johnson, SA, Watson, SA, Adams, MJ, “Friction of the Human Finger Pad. Influence of Moisture, Occlusion and Velocity.” Tribol. Lett., 44 (2) 117–137 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Tomlinson, SE, Lewis, R, Carré, MJ, Franklin, SE, “Human Finger Friction in Contacts with Ridged Surfaces.” Wear, 301 (1–2) 330–337 (2013)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Persson, BNJ, Kovalev, A, Gorb, SN, “Contact Mechanics and Friction on Dry and Wet Human Skin.” Tribol Lett, 50 (1) 17–30 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Derler, S, Süess, J, Rao, A, Rotaru, G-M, “Influence of Variations in the Pressure Distribution on the Friction of the Finger Pad.” Tribol. Int., 63 14–20 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Darden, MA, Schwartz, CJ, “Skin Tribology Phenomena Associated with Reading Braille Print. The Influence of Cell Patterns and Skin Behavior on Coefficient of Friction.” Wear, 332–333 734–741 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Liu, X, Lu, Z, Lewis, R, Carr, MJ, Matcher, SJ, “Feasibility of Using Optical Coherence Tomography to Study the Influence of Skin Structure on Finger Friction.” Tribol. Int., 63 34–44 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Fagiani, R, Massi, F, Chatelet, E, Costes, JP, Berthier, Y, “Contact of a Finger on Rigid Surfaces and Textiles. Friction Coefficient and Induced Vibrations.” Tribol Lett, 48 (2) 145–158 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Derler, S, Gerhardt, L-C, “Tribology of Skin. Review and Analysis of Experimental Results for the Friction Coefficient of Human Skin.” Tribol. Lett., 45 (1) 1–27 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Jobanputra, RD, Hayes, J, Royyuru, S, Masen, MA, “A Numerical Analysis of Skin-PPE Interaction to Prevent Facial Tissue Injury.” Scient. Reports, 11 (1) 16248 (2021)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Serhat, G, Vardar, Y, Kuchenbecker, KJ, “Contact Evolution of Dry and Hydrated Fingertips at Initial Touch.” PloS One, 17 (7) e0269722 (2022)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Shuman, DJ, Costa, AL, Andrade, MS, “Calculating the Elastic Modulus from Nanoindentation and Microindentation Reload Curves.” Mater. Characteriz., 58 (4) 380–389 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Owens, DK, Wendt, RC, “Estimation of the Surface Free Energy of Polymers.” J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 13 (8) 1741–1747 (1969)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ules, T, Hausberger, A, Grießer, M, Schlögl, S, Gruber, DP, “Introduction of a New In-Situ Measurement System for the Study of Touch-Feel Relevant Surface Properties.” Polymers, 12 (6) 1380 (2020)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Bortz, J, Döring, N, “Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation für Human- und Sozialwissenschaftler.” (4) (2006)

  19. Bortz, J, Lehrbuch der empirischen Forschung. Springer, Berlin and Heidelberg (1984)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. Strohmeier, L, Frommwald, H, Schlögl, S, “Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of Modified Liquid Isoprene Rubber Using Thiol-click Chemistry.” RSC Adv., 10 (40) 23607–23614 (2020)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Sahin, M, Ayalur-Karunakaran, S, Manhart, J, Wolfahrt, M, Kern, W, Schlögl, S, “Thiol-Ene versus Binary Thiol-Acrylate Chemistry: Material Properties and Network Characteristics of Photopolymers.” Adv. Eng. Mater., 19 (4) 1600620 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Rossegger, E, Nees, D, Turisser, S, Radl, S, Griesser, T, Schlögl, S, “Photo-Switching of Surface Wettability on Micropatterned Photopolymers for Fast Transport of Water Droplets Over a Long-Distance.” Polym. Chem., 11 (18) 3125–3135 (2020)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gerhardt, L-C, Strassle, V, Lenz, A, Spencer, ND, Derler, S, “Influence of Epidermal Hydration on the Friction of Human Skin Against Textiles.” J. Royal Soci., Interface, 5 (28) 1317–1328 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Heinrich, U, Koop, U, Leneveu-Duchemin, M-C, Osterrieder, K, Bielfeldt, S, Chkarnat, C, Degwert, J, Häntschel, D, Jaspers, S, Nissen, H-P, Rohr, M, Schneider, G, Tronnier, H, “Multicentre Comparison of Skin Hydration in Terms of Physical-, Physiological- and Product-Dependent Parameters by the Capacitive Method (Corneometer CM 825).” Int. J. Cosmet. Sci., 25 (1–2) 45–53 (2003)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Adams, MJ, Johnson, SA, Lefevre, P, Levesque, V, Hayward, V, Andre, T, Thonnard, J-L, “Finger Pad Friction and its Role in Grip and Touch.” J. Royal Soci., Interf., 10 (80) 20120467 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Chen, Q, Swaans, R, de Kok, P, Villet, M, Lauw, Y, Gebhard, M, “Surface Topography and Tribological Properties of Coatings Prepared from Microparticle Size Polyurethane Dispersions Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy.” J. Coat. Technol. Res., 15 (4) 713–719 (2018)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Leyva-Mendivil, MF, Lengiewicz, J, Limbert, G, “Skin Friction Under Pressure. The Role of Micromechanics.” Surf. Topogr. Metrol. Prop., 6 (1) 14001 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Leyva-Mendivil, MF, Lengiewicz, J, Page, A, Bressloff, NW, Limbert, G, “Skin Microstructure is a Key Contributor to Its Friction Behaviour.” Tribol. Lett., 65 (1) 1 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Derler, S, Gerhardt, L-C, Lenz, A, Bertaux, E, Hadad, M, “Friction of Human Skin Against Smooth and Rough Glass as a Function of the Contact Pressure.” Tribol. Int., 42 (11–12) 1565–1574 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research was performed within the COMET-project ”Engineering and full-characterization of polymer based haptic materials“ (Project-No.: 879785) at the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH within the framework of the COMET-program of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs. The PCCL is funded by the Austrian Government and the State Governments of Styria, Lower Austria and Upper Austria.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH, Roseggerstraße 12, 8700, Leoben, Austria

    Thomas Ules, Michael Grießer, Andreas Hausberger, Christian Schipfer, Mohammad Mansouri, Peter Fuchs, Sandra Schlögl & Dieter P. Gruber

Authors
  1. Thomas Ules
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Grießer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andreas Hausberger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christian Schipfer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mohammad Mansouri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Peter Fuchs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sandra Schlögl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Dieter P. Gruber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Ules.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. No sensitive personal information were collected, and no invasive methods were used.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This paper was presented at the 17th Coatings Science International Conference on June 27–30, 2022, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ules, T., Grießer, M., Hausberger, A. et al. Tactile friction and perception of UV-curable coatings and their relation to physical surface parameters and contact mechanic simulation. J Coat Technol Res 20, 1803–1814 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11998-023-00792-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11998-023-00792-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation