State and Rate Dependent Friction Laws for Modeling High-Speed Frictional Slip at Metal-on-Metal Interfaces

Abstract

In the present paper the applicability of state and rate dependent friction laws in describing the phenomena of high speed slip at metal-on-metal interfaces is investigated. For the purpose of model validation, results of plate-impact pressure-shear friction experiments were conducted by Irfan in 1998 and Irfan and Prakash in 2000 using a Ti6Al4V and Carpenter Hampden tool-steel tribo pair are employed. In these experiments high normal pressures (1–3GPa) and slip speeds of approximately 50m∕s were attained during the high-speed slip event. Moreover, these experiments were designed to investigate the evolution of friction stress in response to step changes in normal pressure and also in the applied shear stress during the high-speed slip event. A step drop in normal pressure is observed to result in an exponential decay of the friction stress to a new steady-state characteristic of the current normal pressure and the current slip velocity. A step drop in applied shear stress is observed to lead to an initial drop in friction stress, which later increases toward a new steady-state friction stress level. In response to the step drop in applied shear stress the slip velocity initially increases and then decreases to a new steady-state level consistent with the new friction stress level. A modified rate and state dependent friction model that employs both velocity and normal stress dependent state variables is used to simulate the experimental results. A good correlation is found between the experimental results and the predictions of the proposed state and rate dependent friction model.