Evaluation of friction and wear effects during the abrasive contact between Al2O3-hardened steel
Résumé
The influence of friction conditions in grinding processes is very important in terms of product results and abrasive wear. However, the knowledge of those conditions is limited due to the complexity of the grinding process itself, and to the difficulty to obtain adequate experimental data. In this paper a new test bench designed to overcome the limitations of the present experimental studies is presented. The test bench is based on the classical Pin-on-Disc configuration but adapted to reproduce the high relative speeds (up to 50m/s) and contact pressures (up to 5MPa) characteristics of shallow grinding processes. The test bench allows measuring pin temperature and contact forces which can be used for the characterization of friction phenomena. The paper includes an experimental study developed in the new test bench where the contact conditions between steel and abrasive have been assessed. The study has served to identify a sticking phenomenon of steel on the abrasive surface and also to assess the influence of relative contact speed in friction conditions.