- (asperity) something hard to endure; "the asperity of northern winters"
- (asperity) harshness of manner
- Asperity, defined as "unevenness of surface, roughness, ruggedness" (OED, from the Latin asper — "rough"), has implications (for example) in physics and in seismology. Smooth surfaces, even those polished to a mirror finish, are not truly smooth on an atomic scale. ...
- (asperity) Roughness as of stone or weather; Something that is harsh and hard to endure; Harshness, as of temper; A part of a geological fault line that does not move. Earthquakes begin and end at asperities
- (asperity) n. - roughness, acrimony.
- (Asperity) In tribology, a protuberance in the small-scale topographical irregularities of a solid surface.
- (Asperity) A term used in wear technology or tribology to describe a peak or projection from a surface.
- (Asperity) The roughness of the film surface, usually expressed in microns (one micron is one millionth of a meter) or micro inches (one micro inch is one millionth of an inch).
- (asperity) A region on a fault of high strength produced by one or more of the following conditions: increased normal stress, high friction, low pore pressure, or geometric changes in the fault such as fault bends, offsets, or roughness. ...
- (asperity) An area on a fault that is stuck.
- three-dimensional irregularities forming the surface of an irregular stone (or rock) subject to wear and rounding during attraction
- Microscopic projections on metal surfaces resulting from normal surface-finishing processes. Opposing asperities in sliding or rolling applications create friction, and can lead to metal welding and scoring. ...
- microscopic pores that develop on a shaft seal’s elastomeric sealing lip at the point of contact with the shaft as a result of wear; asperities can be beneficial in that they help hold lubrication for the lip and facilitate a micro-pumping action that prevents leakage; also known as microasperities.
- Hills and valleys of metal surfaces.