A Novel Two-Disc Machine for High Precision Friction Assessment

Abstract

The concept of two-disc model testing has proven to deliver valuable information for the applicability of new technologies, such as surface structuring, coatings, alternative fluids, or advanced materials, in actual machine elements. In this article an advanced two-disc machine with sophisticated control technology for dry and lubricated setup is presented. (i) All involved components are controlled via a powerful PLC unit leading to the possibility of realising extremely accurate SRRs down to 0.1%. (ii) High-speed data acquisition allows local insight into tribological phenomena by providing 72 data points along one shaft rotation. (iii) Several lubrication scenarios such as fluid, mixed, and starved lubrication, as well as dry contacts, can be considered. (iv) Raw-data of all sensors, including normal force, friction force, vibration speed, stiffness (wear), infrared temperature, contact potential, and motor speed, is presented. Some example results of dry polymer-steel tribosystems and lubricated experiments are shown to elucidate the capabilities of the novel test rig.