Correlation of Changes in Coefficient of Friction and Contact Failure During Sliding Wear Experiments

摘要

It has been assumed that increases in coefficient of friction (COF) during sliding wear experiments are associated with the wear of contact surfaces and degradation in electrical stability. In this study, contact resistance and coefficient of friction were measured simultaneously during sliding wear experiments. It was found that the COF has an initial value of about .2 and rises to about .5, and that as long as the COF remained stable, contact resistance was also low and stable. However, when the COF changed significantly from the value of .5, either increased or decreased, the contact resistance eventually increased to unacceptable levels. It was determined that the change in COF from .5 was the indicator for the onset of wear and eventual contact failure.