To evaluate the ability of fractal parameters for characterizing tribological properties of surfaces, some stable fractal surfaces, which possess the same fractal dimension, scale factor and root-mean-square deviation of surface topography, were synthesized, and then simulated using finite element analysis to calculate the maximum temperature and contact area during sliding process. It was found that for same-parameter fractal surfaces the maximum temperature and contact area fluctuated

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... ally. Thus, the tribological properties of surfaces can not be characterized by some simple parameters. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. XQUHVWULFWHG XVH 4 Article available at