Influence of surface roughness on the tribo-electric process for a sliding contact between polymeric plate materials

Abstract

Polymers are used in many industrial applications due to their good mechanical and thermal properties. Studies have shown that electrical insulators, such as the polymers, are generating electrostatic charge by frictional contact. This tribo-charging effect influences de sliding conditions, and the level of charge depends of several factors. The aim of this paper is to validate two paradigms: (I) the electrostatic charge increases with contact pressure; (II) the level of charge is influenced by the number of contact points on the surface. The tribocharging experiments were carried out with samples cut from two polymers: Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene, 5 mm x 15mm x100 mm, roughness: Ra = 0.4 μm; and Polyvinyl Chloride, 5 mm x 50 mm x 180 mm, with various roughness values: Ra = 3-12 μm and RSm = 150-350 μm. The modification of asperity density was accompanied by changes in the electric potential measured at the surface of the PVC samples. Thus, its average value V increased from -0.33 to -0.85 kV, and its maximum value Vmax, from -1.56 to -4.83 kV.