Theory of viscoelastic lubrication

We study the lubricated (wet) contact mechanics of a smooth hard cylinder sliding on a randomly rough nominally flat surface of a linear viscoelastic solid. We calculate the rolling and sliding friction, and study the transition from the boundary lubrication to the elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication regime. For the viscoelastic contact the minimum (average) separation does not monotonically increase with the sliding velocity, and the Stribeck curve exhibits new structures not shown for elastic solids.     

Generalized effects in confined fluids: New friction map for boundary lubrication

Recent advances in measuring the rheology and tribology of thin liquid films between shearing surfaces have enabled previously-inaccessible parameters to be measured accurately during frictional sliding. These include the real area of contact, the local asperity load and pressure, and the sheared film thickness. The results show striking non-continuum, non-bulk like effects when the thicknesses of sheared films approach molecular dimensions as occurs under most tribological conditions. Based on these new results, we assess the validity of current presentations of friction processes, such as the Stribeck curve, and propose new constitutive relations and a dynamic friction map, including an alternative Stribeck type curve representation, which are also formulated in terms of more accessible parameters.     

Influence of Surface Roughness, Material and Climate Conditions on the Friction of Human Skin

The gliding comfort and performance of personal care and wellness products is strongly influenced by the sliding friction behaviour of human skin. In the open literature, most of the results on skin friction are related to the performance of cosmetic products or to the slip and grip properties of surfaces. Experiments were usually carried out on the forearm or the fingertips. The influence of the surface roughness and the material of engineering surfaces have received little attention so far, especially not in sliding contact with the skin of the cheek, or under different climate conditions. A custom-built rotating ring device was used to study the influence of the probe surface roughness (R _a = 0.1–10 μm), the probe material (metals, plastics), the climate conditions (21–29 °C, 37–92% RH) and skin hydration on the frictional behaviour of the skin on the cheek and the forearm. The amplitude of the surface roughness has a dominant influence on the friction behaviour: the smoother the surface, the higher the friction. Differences can be as large as a factor 5–10, especially in the range R _a < 1 μm. The probe material itself has no significant influence; except for PFTE which reduces the friction by approximately 25% compared to the other materials. In a humid climate, the skin becomes hydrated and the friction is twice as high as in a dry climate. The effect of skin hydration is smaller on the cheek than on the forearm, probably due to the presence of beard stubbles. A simple friction model for human skin is presented, based on adhesion friction, contact mechanics of rough surfaces and the interfacial shear stress of thin organic films. The model explains the effects of the probe surface roughness and skin compliance. Quantitative application of the model indicates that the biomechanical indentation and shearing behaviour of the stratum corneum is influenced by the same physical process, i.e. the intercellular bonding strength of the corneocytes.     

Modelling of kinetic friction in V-bending of ultra-high-strength steel sheets

The Stribeck friction model was investigated in this study to predict springback of high-strength steel sheets. The coefficient of friction in Stribeck curve depends on sliding velocity and contact pressure. The plane-strain bending process is simulated in ABAQUS/Standard. The influence of forming speed, over-pressing and holding time on springback behaviour of sheets was studied numerically. By plotting the variation of bending angle with punch stroke, we found that the loading curve of finite element analysis showed similar results to the experiments. The unloading curves of FE analysis with friction models based on Stribeck curve and Coulomb law showed good agreement with experiments with error less than 1.5%. Forming speed of up to 50 mm/s does not have significant effect on springback. The effect of holding time on reducing springback is small, but over-press has large effect on reducing springback. The results showed that Stribeck model is suitable for sheet metal forming simulations, especially at higher forming speeds and pressures.     

Observations of Stick-Slip Friction in Velcro®

Friction, and in particular stick-slip friction, occurs on every length scale, from the movement of atomic force microscope tips at the nanoscale to the movement of tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust. Even with this ubiquity, there still appears to be outstanding fundamental questions, especially on the way that frictional motion varies generally with the mechanical parameters of a system. In this study, the frictional dynamics of the hook-and-loop system of Velcro^® in shear is explored by varying the typical parameters of driving velocity, applied load, and apparent contact area. It is demonstrated that in Velcro^® both the maximum static frictional force and the average kinetic frictional force vary linearly with apparent contact area (hook number), and moreover, in the kinetic regime, stick-slip dynamics are evident. Surprisingly, the average kinetic friction force is independent of velocity over nearly two-and-a-half orders of magnitude (~2 × 10^?4 to ~6 × 10^?2 m/s). The frictional force varies as a power law on the applied load with an exponent of 0.28 and 0.24 for the maximum static and kinetic frictional forces, respectively. Furthermore, the evolution of stick-slip friction to more smooth sliding, as controlled by contact area, is demonstrated by both a decrease in the spread of the kinetic friction and the spread of the fluctuations of the average kinetic friction when normalized to the average kinetic friction; these decreases follow power-law behaviors with respect to the increasing contact area with exponents of approximately ?0.3 and ?0.8, respectively. Lastly, we note that the coefficients of friction μ _s and μ _k are not constant with applied load but rather decrease monotonically with power-law behavior with an exponent of nearly ?0.8. Phenomenologically, this system exhibits interesting physics whereby in some instances it follows classical Amontons–Coulomb (AC) behavior and in others lies in stark contrast and hopefully will assist in the understanding of the friction behavior in dry surfaces.     

Friction-Induced Vibration by Stribeck’s Law: Application to Wiper Blade Squeal Noise

This paper is concerned with the squeal noise of a wiper/windscreen contact. It is shown that squeal noise stems from friction-induced self-excited vibrations in the context of Stribeck’s law for friction coefficient. The study is specifically focussed on the instability range of velocities and not on the amplitude of limit cycles. The studied dynamic system consists of a single degree-of-freedom mass-spring-damper oscillator submitted to a velocity-dependent frictional force which follows the Stribeck law. The local stability is analyzed by the first Lyapunov method and results in a stability criterion. Experiments have been performed on a glass/elastomer contact lubricated with water. The tribometer ‘LUG’ provides measurements of the vibrational velocity and friction force versus sliding speed. It is found that the instability appears during the transition between boundary and elastohydrodynamic regimes where the negative gradient of the friction versus velocity curve is steep. The apparition and vanishing of instability are correctly predicted by the steady-state stability criterion.     

The elastohydrodynamic transition speed for spheres sliding on lubricated rubber

An elastohydrodynamic number derived elsewhere in the literature [1] characterizes the onset of hydrodynamic support for a rigid sphere sliding on a lubricated viscoelastic base. This number includes elastic properties of the base track, in contrast with previous studies where such have been neglected. A generalized coefficient of sliding friction has been defined as the actual coefficient of friction divided by the tangent modulus of the viscoelastic material. Experimental plots of the coefficient of friction versus sliding speed for spheres sliding on lubricated rubber are shown to produce a relatively sudden decay in coefficient at the transition speed from “dry” to elastohydrodynamic contact. These plots in turn fit closely on a master curve of generalized coefficient of friction versus the elastohydrodynamic number.The inclusion of surface roughness on the sphere produces both a higher value of the generalized coefficient prior to the transition speed and a higher sliding velocity at which the transition itself occurs. Furthermore, the rate of decay for the generalized coefficient of friction appears distinctly greater for rough spheres. The overall effect of roughness is to reduce the difference between the dry and wet coefficients of sliding friction. Random abrasion of the spheres with emery paper of known grit size appears to be an effective method of inducing surface roughness on the spheres. The nature of all the experimental curves may be satisfactorily explained by squeeze-film theory.An important application of the sliding of smooth and rough spheres on a lubricated flexible base is the sliding/slipping behaviour of automobile tyres on a wet road surface during normal rolling.     

New tribometer designed for the characterisation of the friction properties at the tool/chip/workpiece interfaces in machining

This work deals with the development of a new tribometer designed for the characterisation of the frictional properties at the tool/chip/workpiece interfaces in cutting processes. Based on a plane–sphere contact configuration, the experimental set‐up enables a continuous regeneration of the pin–workmaterial contact. The average contact pressure can be selected up to 3 GPa under sliding velocities reaching 16 m/s. Under such severe conditions, which are not reachable with conventional tribometers, the apparent friction coefficient is quantified in parallel to the heat flux transmitted to the pin. This new system has been applied to the characterisation of the frictional properties during the dry machining of a 27MnCr5 annealed steel with a carbide cutting tool. The influence of the sliding velocity and of an additional TiN layer deposited by PVD on the carbide pins has been investigated in dry conditions. It has been shown that the sliding velocity is the more influential parameter, followed by the coating. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Roughness and Lubricant Effect on 3D Atomic Asperity Contact

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the sliding process of rough surfaces with and without lubricant. In the dry contact, a linear relationship has been observed between the load and the contact area for surfaces with large root mean square (RMS) roughness. However, it becomes nonlinear when the RMS is small. In the presence of adhesion, small roughness results in a large friction force when the surfaces are flattened and the contact area reaches 60 %. In order to confirm this observation, nonadhesive models have been established with an observation that under the combined influence from roughness and adhesion, the contact area plays a crucial role to determine whether the dry sliding is under the domination of roughness or adhesion. In the lubricated sliding, an increase in friction force has been found for the partially lubricated condition because the asperity contact still accounts for a great deal of resisting force. Besides, the lubricant exerts a comparable resisting force to the sliding.     

Role of Frictional Heating in Rubber Friction

The energy dissipation in the contact regions between solids in sliding contact can result in high local temperatures which may strongly affect the friction. This is the case for rubber sliding on road surfaces at speeds above 1 mm/s. I derive equations which describe the frictional heating for arbitrary (non-uniform) motion, taking into account that some of the frictional energy is produced inside the rubber due to the internal friction in rubber. Numerical results are presented for one limiting case for steady sliding.     

Effects of Fiber Diameter and Tribotest Conditions on Nonlubricated Frictional Behavior of a Microsized Metal Fiber

Experimental determination of the frictional properties of a microsized fiber wrapped around a cylinder has been of long-standing interest to the academic community. The purpose of the current experiments was to explore the diameter dependence of such microsized fibers in nonlubricated friction using a highly accurate tribometer. For this work, NbTi superconducting material was used for the fibers and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was used as the cylinder material. Significant effects were observed in the kinetic friction coefficient for different fiber diameters, normal forces, and sliding speeds. Moreover, the effects of fiber diameter on the frictional stability were measured. Smaller fiber diameters and low sliding speeds both produced poor frictional stability. The most likely explanation for the observed stick–slip phenomena is hypothesized to be a combination of creep mechanics and plastic deformation of the junctions on the contacting surfaces.     

Load dependence and lifetime studies of self‐assembled monolayers

A comparative study of the microtribological properties of native oxide on Si (100), Si (100) coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and perfluorode‐cyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) self‐assembling monolayers (SAMs) is presented. The frictional properties between these samples and a bare silicon sphere were examined using a microtribometer. Microfriction was investigated as a function of the normal load and relative humidity. Also, the microfriction of OTS‐ and FDTS‐coated surfaces was studied as a function of sliding time and normal load to examine the lifetime of these monolayers. Confirming the results of earlier studies, in the microtribological regime OTS and FDTS significantly reduce the friction force in comparison to the bare, native oxide covered (hydrophilic) silicon surface. The friction vs. normal load curve of oxide‐covered surfaces as well as the SAMs can be described by contact mechanics. Lifetime measurements of the SAMs, examined as a function of the normal load and relative humidity, indicate that the OTS monolayers wear quickly in both dry and moist environments, while the lifetime of FDTS monolayers appears to increase in moist environments. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stribeck Curve Under Friction of Copper Samples in the Steady Friction State

The friction and wear of a pure copper block (99.98 wt% Cu) against a hardened steel disc were studied. The effect of sliding velocity and load on the friction coefficient and wear rate of Cu samples during steady tests was studied. Elasto-hydrodynamic (EHL), mixed (ML) and boundary lubrication (BL) regions were analyzed using the Stribeck curve. The lubrication number of Schipper, Z, was used in the analysis of the Stribeck curve. The transitions from one lubrication region to another are discussed. The mixed EHL region is characterized by stable low values of the friction coefficient, wear rate and temperature. Straight asperity contact is the dominant mechanism under friction of Cu–steel pair in the BL region. High-friction coefficients and wear rates, thin lubricant films and large wear grooves indicate straight asperity contact between rubbed surfaces in the BL region. Although the dominant mechanisms in the mixed EHL and BL regions are different in principle, a steady friction state is preserved in both cases. It is expected that the steady friction state in the BL and mixed EHL regions is associated with deformation and fracture of surface layers but these process occur at different scale levels. It was shown that under friction of Cu–steel pair, two types of ML regions are observed. The first is the stable steady friction of mixed EHL with low values of the friction coefficient and wear rate. The second type of the ML region is the region of unstable friction and wear when a decrease of lubricant film leads to a change of external (roughness, temperature, friction and wear) and internal (strain and stress) parameters. It was found out that a transition to the unstable ML region occurs within a narrow range of Z parameter under definite values of the load and sliding velocity.     

Dynamic In Situ Measurements of Frictional Heating on an Isolated Surface Protrusion

Problems in the subject of frictional heating have been studied extensively, yet their complexity remains a barrier to further understanding. This study simplifies the frictional heating problem by examining the temperature rise due to a heat source of prescribed geometry. A single positive feature on the sliding face of the countersurface causes a local temperature rise. The cylindrical feature has a diameter of 150 µm and aspect ratio of 0.1 and slides under the larger contact area whose contact width is ~600 to ~750 µm. An infrared camera, acquiring at 870 Hz, observed the temperature rise at the contact interface between the feature and the rubber pin. The applied force for all tests was 200 mN, and the sliding velocity was varied from 10 to 200 mm/s. Maximum temperature rises of ~1–17 °C and average temperature rises of ~1–8 °C were measured. Measured values were compared to the Jaeger’s frictional heating models for sliding contacts.     

Thermal and thermomechanical effects in dry sliding

Whenever friction occurs in dry sliding of mechanical components, mechanical energy is transformed into heat through surface and volumetric processes in and around the real area of contact. This frictional heating, and the thermal and thermomechanical phenomena associated with it, can have a very important influence on the tribological behavior of the sliding components, especially at high sliding velocities. Significant developments in the study of these phenomena are reviewed in this paper. Among the topics reviewed are mechanisms of frictional heating and the distribution of heat during sliding friction, the measurement and analysis of surface and nearsurface temperatures resulting from frictional heating, thermal deformation around sliding contacts and the changes in contact geometry caused by thermal deformation and thermoelastic instability, and the thermomechanical stress distribution around the frictionally heated and thermally deformed contact spots. The paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of the thermal and thermomechanical contact phenomena on wear, thermocracking and other modes of failure of sliding mechanical components.     

Adhesive wear and frictional characteristics of UHMWPE and HDPE sliding against different counterfaces under dry contact condition

Abstract

The current work evaluates the wear and frictional performance of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) sliding against different metal counterfaces, stainless steel(SS), mild steel (MS) and aluminium (Al), under dry contact condition. The experiments were conducted using pin on disc machine at different sliding distances (0–40·32 km), 15 N applied load and 2·8 m s^–1 sliding velocity. Interface temperatures and frictional forces were measured simultaneously during the sliding, while specific wear rates were determined for every 1·68 km sliding distance. Based on the optical microscopy of the worn surface and wear track, frictional and wear results were analysed and discussed. The experimental results showed that the type of counterface material significantly influences both frictional and wear performances of the selected polymers. This was mainly due to the film transfer characteristics. Higher temperature and friction coefficient for UHMWPE and HDPE were evident when sliding took place against Al counterface. Sliding the polymers against stainless steel showed low friction coefficients compared to other counterfaces.     

Model and computer simulation of friction

A model, consisting of the stochastic formulae which describe the relationship between the friction coefficient and the parameters known to be significant in dry friction, is proposed for dry sliding friction between two randomly rough surfaces. The model considers the frictional phenomena which dominate in energy dissipation and which may occur simultaneously between contacting elements. The kind of interaction in a given spot of asperity contact depends on the local energy flux density. The effect of several parameters on the friction coefficient, the real area of contact, and the number of contact spots can be calculated with the FRI-SIM program. A comparison of the simulation and experimental data shows a convergence of results.     

Gemini Interfaces in Aqueous Lubrication with Hydrogels

The sliding interfaces found in the body—within the eyes, the digestive system, and the articulating joints, for example—are soft and permeable yet extremely robust, possessing low friction. The common elements among these systems are hydrophilic biopolymer networks that provide physical surfaces, elasticity, and fluid permeability. Stiff, impermeable probes are traditionally used to assess the frictional properties of most surfaces, including soft, permeable materials. However, both sides of physiological articulating interfaces are soft and hydrated. Measuring the friction response on just one-half of the cornea–eyelid interface or the cartilage–cartilage interface using a stiff, impermeable probe may not reproduce physiological lubrication. Here, we present lubricity measurements of the interface between two soft, hydrated, and permeable hydrogels. We explore the distinctions between the self-mated “Gemini” hydrogel interface and hydrogels sliding against hard impermeable countersurfaces. A rigid impermeable probe sliding against a soft permeable hydrogel exhibits strong frictional dependence on sliding speed, and a hydrogel probe sliding against flat glass shows a strong friction dependence on time in contact. The twin Gemini interface shows very low friction μ < 0.06, with little dependence on sliding speed or time in contact. This consistently low-friction Gemini interface emulates the physiological condition of two like permeable surfaces in contact, providing excellent lubricity.     

An Integrated Force Probe and Quartz Crystal Microbalance for High-Speed Microtribology

We have developed a technique for measuring frictional forces and contact areas, over a wide range of applied loads, at microscopic contacts reaching high sliding speeds near 1 m/s. Our approach is based on integrating two stand-alone methods: nanoindentation and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Energy dissipation and lateral contact stiffness are monitored by a transverse shear quartz resonator, while a spherical indenter probe is loaded onto its surface. Variations in these two quantities as functions of shear amplitude, with the normal load held fixed, reveal a transition from partial to full slip at a critical amplitude. Average values of both the threshold force for full slip and the kinetic friction during sliding are determined from these trends, and the contact area is inferred from the lateral stiffness at low shear amplitudes. Measurements are performed at loads ranging from 5 µN to 8 mN using an electrostatically actuated indenter probe. For the materials chosen in this study, we find that the full slip threshold force is about a factor of two larger than kinetic friction. The forces increase sublinearly with load in close correspondence with the contact area, and the shear strengths are found to be relatively insensitive to pressure. The threshold shear amplitude scales in proportion to the contact radius. These results demonstrate that the probe–QCM technique is a versatile and full-featured platform for microtribology in the speed range relevant to practical applications.     

Polyester composite based on betelnut fibre for tribological applications

A polyester composite based on betelnut fibres was fabricated and its adhesive wear and frictional performance studied using a block on disk machine at different applied loads and sliding distances at 2.8 m/s sliding velocity under dry/wet contact conditions. SEM was used to study worn surface morphology. The results revealed that betelnut fibre reinforced polyester (BFRP) composite had better wear and frictional performance under wet contact condition compared to dry. The wear mechanism of the BFRP composite was predominated by micro and macro-cracks in the polyester regions and debonding of fibres.