The geometrical state of the surface of a solid – H. von Weingraber

The functional performance of two surfaces in contact depends upon their material properties as well as their geometrical properties. The physical and chemical properties that a surface acquires during machining can be very different from those of the underlying undisturbed material. They are just as important for a complete typological description as the geometrical state, but their discussion is beyond the scope of this paper. The following discussion is, therefore, restricted to those problems which are related to an unambiguous characterization of the geometrical state.