Deformation, heating and melting of solids in high-speed friction

Abstract

An experimental study has been made of the effects of frictional heating on the deformation of solids rubbing at very high speeds and at reasonably heavy loads. A new method for measuring the friction under these conditions is described. A steel ball, rapidly spinning round its vertical axis, is allowed to fall a short distance and to bounce off an inclined flat solid surface. The friction of steel on various solids in a vacuum of ca . 10 -4 mm Hg, at sliding speeds up to 700 m/s, is determined from the measured direction of the ball’s horizontal velocity after the impact. In addition, separate piezo-electric measurements are made of the load and the friction force. Again the coefficient of friction is found to decrease with increasing sliding speed. The general behaviour is similar to that observed at light loads but there are important differences. With heavy loads the deformation of the solids appears to be primarily plastic. Within a very short time after being brought into contact with a fast-moving surface, solids with a sufficiently low melting point melt on a large scale so that a continuous film of molten material is developed over the area of contact. The resistance to motion is determined primarily by this liquid film so that it may now increase as the speed rises. The heating due to the shearing of this film causes the solid to melt away rapidly, and as a result the wear rate of such solids usually becomes great at high sliding speeds. Certain polymers, however, exhibit a greater wear resistance than metals and other solids which possess a low viscosity in the molten state. Calculations indicate that in these polymers, owing to their high viscosity, the temperature of the sheared film may be considerably higher than the melting temperature. As a consequence, a larger proportion of the heat developed by the shearing may be absorbed in the already molten material, and less heat will be available for further melting. Gas liberated by thermal decomposition may also reduce the friction and wear.