Adhesion and abrasion of surface materials in the Venusian aeolian environment

Abstract

In laboratory simulations of the Venusian environment, rock and mineral “target” surfaces struck by aeolian particles develop a thin layer of accretionary material derived from the particles' attrition debris. Accretion may be (in part) a manifestation of “cold welding,” a process well known in engineering, where bonding occurs between metals at a tribological interface. Accretion on geological materials was found to occur at all Venusian surface temperatures and for all types of materials tested. First‐order variations in the amount deposited by particles are related to relative attrition susceptibilities. Second‐order variations relate to properties of the particle‐target interface. Variations in accretion volume are apparently independent of mineral chemistry and are only weakly dependent on crystallography. The results suggest that accretion should be a fairly universal phenomenon in areas of Venus subject to aeolian activity.