Effects of external electric fields on frictional behaviors of three kinds of ceramic/metal rubbing couples

摘要

In this paper, effects of external electric fields on frictional behaviors of Al{sub}2O{sub}3/brass, Al{sub}2O{sub}3/stainless steel and Al{sub}2O{sub}3/carbon steel couples under boundary lubricating conditions were studied on a self-madeplate/plate type tribotester. Emulsion of 1 wt% zinc stearate dispersed into deionized water was used as lubricant in the experiments. The experiment results have shown that external electric fields affect the friction coefficient and its fluctuation ofeach rubbing couple substantially. The three couples showed different rates of change in friction coefficient and different tendency of change as the field was turned on and off during the rubbing process. Results acquired from experiments carried out ina wide range of external voltage, from 0 to 110 V, indicating that friction coefficient of Al{sub}2O{sub}3/brass couple increases monotonously with the intensity of the external electric field, although no linear relationship was found between them.