Effect of System Stiffness on Friction and Wear

A systematic study has been carried out to investigate the effect of change in the stiffness of the system incorporating a tribo contact, on the operational characteristics of a friction pair. Using a pin on disk apparatus six different system stiffnesses were introduced. With each system stiffness a steel sample is slide against two counter bodies: a smooth metal surface, and an abrasive surface. Friction force, normal force, and wear rate are measured. Results indicate that system stiffness has significant effect on wear, vibration, and contact forces. An increase in system stiffness is found to increase wear rate. As the wear rate increased, the coefficient of friction was also found to increase. Mathematical models have been developed to predict wear under varying system stiffness. These results are of particular importance in miniature devices involving moving parts.