Simultaneous Imaging and Friction Measurement with an In-Situ Tribometer

Different instruments are needed to study the interaction of contact surfaces at different length scales. Tribometers measure the coefficient of friction but they cannot image the microscale or nanoscale contact area. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) techniques can image surfaces at smaller scales but they do not enable tests to be performed with probe materials (e.g., steel) and properties (e.g., roughness) needed to represent many important, realistic tribological applications. Removing a sample to change instruments can expose the region of interest to environmental contaminants, and can lead to changes in the physical and chemical properties of the sliding zone.