The Behavior of Adhered Fragments Interposed Between Sliding Surfaces and the Formation Process of Wear Particles

Abstract

To study the behavior of adhered fragments on rubbing surfaces, the transverse movement of a slider is measured and recorded during the wear process. The gap between the mating surfaces is enlarged gradually through the origin and growth of a transfer particle adhering to the slider and then closed suddenly by the removal of the particle. The removal process of wear particles can be observed by an optical microscope. Furthermore, an X-ray microanalysis is made on the cut section of the rubbing system just before the removal of the particle. The particle is press-slide flattened in shape and has a hair line mixed structure containing metals of both mating surfaces. The maximum lift of the slider is nearly equal to the size of the produced particle. These observations show that the adhered fragments are piling up and are being press-slide flattened between the mating surfaces until their final removal as wear particles.