The onset of friction for rubber across an ice bead

Abstract

Purpose The exploration of the polar regions is of immeasurable potential. It brings great challenges to tribology in the extreme environment. Moreover, the static friction force is an essential index of the braking performance. The purpose of this paper is the static friction force between the rubber of marine pipe tensioner and the ice bead. Design/methodology/approach The frictional phenomena were studied for rubber-ice bead at different contact positions (front edge, front part and end part) by means of image processing and measuring. Also, the image sequences of the contact were combined with friction force and displacement data. Findings As rubber across the ice bead, the forces of rubber and ice bead at different contact positions determined the order of static friction force (front edge > front part > end part). Meanwhile, there were two different contact states in this process. In addition, under the low tangential load growth rate, the higher temperature can increase the static friction force by increasing the viscoelasticity and contact area of rubber. Originality/value The research on the static friction of rubber-ice bead leads to more controlled and higher friction levels during marine pipeline laying. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-12-2019-0526/