A novel modular fretting wear test rig

A novel modular experimental apparatus was designed and developed to measure and visualize fretting wear and friction for Hertzian circular and elliptical contacts and flat on flat contacts. The experimental apparatus utilizes a magnetostrictive actuator to reciprocate a flat, ball, or cylinder between two fixed specimens. Two stationary flat or cylindrical specimens mounted on a rotary table clamp the reciprocating specimen from the top and bottom to generate the fretting contact. The two stationary test specimens installed on the rotary table perpendicular to the moving specimen form a crossed cylinder geometry which creates a well-defined circular contact. An elliptical contact with different aspect ratios can be obtained by varying the angle between the fixed and the moving specimens. Dead weights placed on top of the upper stationary specimen provide the normal load. A force sensor located in line between the actuator output shaft and the specimen is used to measure friction. The test rig's modular design allows it to be configured for Hertzian circular (ball-on-flat, crossed cylinder), elliptical (crossed cylinder), and conformal (flat-on-flat) contacts. In the ball on flat configuration a steel flat or sapphire window is used in contact with the reciprocating ball. When the sapphire window is used a microscope and high speed camera is employed for in situ visualization and recording of the contact.