Normal contact stiffness is a physical quantity related to the generalized force displacement behavior of rough surfaces in contact with a rigid body or a second similar rough surface. This behavior of notable importance for the study of systems involving the physical interactions of multiple bodies including granular matter, electrode contacts, and thermal contacts.
Surface structure
The role of surface structure in normal contact mechanics is a frequently studied topic. Parameters of roughness, fractal dimension and asperity geometry are often discussed with reference to their significance on contact mechanics of surfaces.
References
Normal contact stiffness Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA