Title: Effects of the test conditions on the friction and wear of polyethylene

Authors: Maher Dammak; Mohamed Kharrat; Imen Smaoui; Sadok Rhaiem

Addresses: Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques, Route de Soukra km 3.5, B.P. 1173, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia; Institut Préparatoire aux Etudes d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Rte Menzel Chaker Km 0.5, B.P. 1172, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia. ' Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques, Route de Soukra km 3.5, B.P. 1173, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia; Faculté des Sciences de Gafsa, Campus Universitaire Sidi Ahmed Zarrouk, 2112 Gafsa, Tunisia. ' Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques, Route de Soukra km 3.5, B.P. 1173, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia; Institut Supérieur des Etudes Technologiques de Gabès, Route de Médenine, 6011 Gabès, Tunisia. ' Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques, Route de Soukra km 3.5, B.P. 1173, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia; Institut Préparatoire aux Etudes d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Rte Menzel Chaker Km 0.5, B.P. 1172, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia

Abstract: This work aims to analyse the effects of the sliding speed and the applied load on the wear and friction behaviour of high density polyethylene (HDPE) sliding against high chromium steel ball. A rotating ball-on-disc tribometer has been developed and used in this study. For a given sliding speed and normal load, different stages for the evolution of the friction coefficient with the number of cycles have been identified and characterised. The evolution of the wear volume with the number of sliding cycles experiences two phases of linear growth. The specific wear rate decreases between the first and the second phases. Effects of the applied normal load and the sliding speed on the friction and wear behaviour have been analysed. It has been found that the effect of the sliding speed on the friction behaviour is stronger than that of the normal load.

Keywords: high density polyethylene; HDPE; friction; wear; normal load; sliding velocity; chromium steel balls.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMP.2012.050943

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties, 2012 Vol.7 No.5, pp.400 - 416

Published online: 10 Dec 2012 *

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