Temperature dependence of the actual contact area and friction force of high-elasticity materials

An investigation of the temperature dependence of the actual contact area (under static conditions and during friction at a given sliding speed) of materials based on butadienenitrile rubber in a wide temperature interval is described. Measurements of the friction force were also made. It was established that the temperature dependence of the contact area is associated with corresponding changes in the elasticity modulus (nonequilibrium static modulus for contacts at rest and dynamic modulus for nonstationary contacts). The friction constant c decreases linearly with rising temperature and does not depend on the applied load.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 726–729, 1967     

Effect of normal load on the temperature and velocity dependence of the force of friction for high-elastic materials

The problem of the effect of normal load on the temperature and velocity dependence of the force of friction is examined for rubbers based on SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40. In the temperature range from 18°–100°C the force of friction for these rubbers falls linearly with increase in temperature. The effect of loads up to 10⁷N/cm² on the temperature dependence of the force of friction for SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40 rubbers reduces to a change in the real contact area or an increase in the temperature dependence with increase in load.The velocity dependence of the force of friction for SKN-18 rubber reveals a weak dependence of the activation energy and the average "jump distance" of the molecular chains on specific load. In the low-velocity region the force of friction depends linearly on the logarithm of velocity, at velocities above 0.44 cm/min and pressures of 30×10⁵ N/cm² the force of friction increases sharply due to an increase in uncontrolled heating of the friction surfaces.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 123–129, 1965     

Investigation of the contact area of a rigid spherical indenter and a polymeric surface at various pressures,temperatures, and contact times

The effect of temperature and normal load on the variation with time of the indentation depth of a rigid spherical indenter in polymeric materials has been investigated with the object of obtaining the dependence of the contact area on the principal parameters of the process. Plexiglas, PVC and polyformaldehyde were selected for study. It is shown that at a given temperature the ratio _m/(a/R)^n–2=A is a function of time only and almost independent of the applied load. It is established that the time-temperature superposition principle can be used for investigating metal-thermoplastic contact phenomena. An expression is obtained for calculating the contact area at various temperatures and loading times.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 457–464, May–June, 1971.     

Friction properties of highly elastic materials at high contact pressures

A newly designed high-pressure tribometer has been employed to investigate the pressure dependence of the friction force of SKN-40 crosslinked butadiene-nitrile rubber in contact with a steel surface on the pressure range to 1200 kgf/cm² (20°C). Over the entire range of contact pressures the friction process is molecular-kinetic in nature and characterized by a linear dependence of the friction force on the logarithm of the sliding velocity. In the region of normal pressures up to 200 kgf/cm², where the effect of pressure on the friction force reduces to the formation of the actual contact area, the friction constant (proportionality factor relating the friction force and the actual contact area) is practically independent of the pressure. At pressures above 200–300 kgf/cm² the increase in the friction force at fixed actual contact area is attributable to the effect of pressure on the friction constant. The nature of this effect is related not with an increase in the chain-surface interaction energy (the activation energy does not increase), but with an increase in the forces of adhesion owing to the greater number of polymer chain-steel surface contacts on the actual contact area (increase in contact density).Lenin Moscow State Pedagogical Institute, Laboratory for Problems of Polymer Physics. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 140–146, January–February, 1971.     

Effect of sliding velocity on area of real contact and on force of friction in high-elastic materials

The velocity dependence of the force of friction and the area of real contact of SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40 rubbers has been simultaneously determined on an optical instrument. In the region of small sliding velocities the area of real contact is virtually independent of the sliding velocity, while the force of friction increases in proportion to the logarithm of the sliding velocity, in accordance with the molecular-kinetic theory of friction. At high sliding velocities a deviation in the velocity dependences of both quantities is observed. The constant of friction has been determined over the entire velocity range and the resulting velocity dependence is examined in molecular terms.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 309–311, 1967     

Friction and rheological properties of resin-impregnated glass tape

The dependence of the dynamic coefficient of friction of resin-impregnated glass tape on the sliding speed over the mandrel surface and the viscosity of the resin is derived. The formulas obtained are confirmed by the results of experiments which indicate a linear dependence of the coefficient of friction on the sliding speed of the tape over a metal mandrel. Graphically, this dependence is expressed by straight lines with a common origin and a slope that increases with the viscosity of the resin. The coefficient of friction of glass tape sliding over a prewound layer at low speeds also has a linear dependence. At high speeds the dependence takes the form of a damped curve.Translated from Mekhanika Polimoerov, No. 1, pp. 166–170, January–February, 1976.     

Effect of wear on the contact stress distribution in sliding bearings with plastic bushes

The contact problem is considered for a thin elastic annular layer compressed by a rigid cylinder with initial contact over a considerable area. Relations for calculating the maximum contact stresses in sliding bearings with plastic bushes are obtained with allowance for the wear of the bush. From an analysis of these relations it follows that, as the bush wear increases, the maximum contact stresses fall appreciably. This offers a partial explanation of the fall in wear rate as the bearing is run in.Bryansk Machine-Building Plant. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1046–1051, November-December, 1969.     

Vibrocreep of polymeric materials

Experimental data on the static and vibrational creep of rigid porous polyurethane are used in an analysis of the time dependence of the vibrocreep coefficient and its dependence on the derivative of the stresses created by the incremental vibrational load and the static stress level. It is shown that at a constant value of the static stresses and the incremental vibrational load the vibrocreep coefficient decreases with time and in long-time vibrocreep tends to unity. As the parameter characterizing the vibrocreep coefficient for a given moment of time it is possible to employ the amplitude of the dynamic stress rate. The dependence proposed for describing the vibrocreep coefficient curves satisfactorily describes the experimental data. It is shown that the value of the vibrocreep coefficient does not depend on the static stress level (up to 0.5 of the short-time strength).For Communication 5, see [9].Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 643–647, July–August, 1970.     

Nature of the friction deformation of the surface layers of polymethyl methacrylate

The surface deformation of amorphous thermoplastics (polymethyl methacrylate) by a spherical steel indentor has been investigated at various sliding velocities. Small velocities correspond to elastic and forced-elastic deformation of the surface layers and asperities. At temperatures corresponding to the high-elastic state the deformed surface layer completely recovers its shape. As the sliding velocity increases, the forced-elastic deformation is localized in a thinner layer of plastic. Starting from a certain velocity, depending on the temperature and the activation energy for transition of the chain segments from one equilibrium position to another in the process of thermal motion, the deformation of the surface layers and asperities becomes purely elastic. In the event of elastic deformation at pressures above a certain value the surface layer of plastic suffers brittle fracture in the tensile zone behind the indentor.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 90–94, 1968.     

The acoustic properties of polymers with an asymmetric potential barrier at liquid-helium temperatures

The pulse-phase compensation method has been used to measure the propagation velocities of longitudinal and shear waves in polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl fluoride, and polystyrene at frequencies of 1 and 5 MHz on the temperature interval 2.1–240°K. It has been established that as the temperature falls to 2.1°K the speed of ultrasound in these polymers monotonically increases, the dispersion (frequency dependence) of the speed of sound being preserved over the entire temperature interval. Two possible causes of the viscoelastic relaxation observed in the investigated polymers in the region of helium temperatures are considered.Scientific-Research Institute of Plastics, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 749–751, July–August, 1973.     

Friction of polymeric materials

The case of contact of polymer and metallic surface has been examined. A formula is proposed for calculating the contact area as a function of time of holding the compression surface under load and for calculating the coefficient of friction, the dependence of Young's modulus and shear strength on temperature, deformation rate, and average force on the contact surface being taken into account. The nature of deformation of irregularities on the surfaces of polymeric materials under the action of normal and tangential loading has been examined.See [1] for Communication 1.Institute for Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 809–815, September–October, 1972.     

Formation of the true contact area between high-elastic materials and a hard smooth surface

The change in the true contact area between rubber and glass on passing from static to dynamic friction has been studied experimentally. The extent of this change depends on the applied normal load and the contact time. The change of friction force is determined by the conditions of formation of the true contact area under the action of normal and tangential forces.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 263–268, 1966     

Polymer fractography and fracture kinetics

The fractographic method makes it possible to determine the test temperature and time at which anomalies appear in the temperature-time dependence of the strength of polymethyl methacrylate and polycaprolactam by finding the conditions of disappearance of specular zones from the fracture surfaces of these polymers. For PMMA these values are –40°C and 10^–2 sec, for PCL –120°C and 10^–7 sec, respectively.For communication 1 see [2].Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 232–237, March–April, 1971.     

Contact creep as the principal source of the losses associated with the rolling of a plastic ball

An engineering method is proposed for calculating the contact creep of plastic balls used in rolling bearings. The method is based on empirical expressions relating the relative creep strain with the specific load and its duration of action. The complex contact-creep characteristics of the material are obtained by means of simple laboratory tests.Moscow Bauman Higher Technical College. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 498–504, May–June, 1969.     

The effect of rate of deformation on the mechanical characteristics of plastics

An experimental investigation of the effect of the rate of deformation on the strength and modulus of elasticity of vinyl plastic and glass-reinforced laminate is described. It is established that when the rate of relative tensile deformation of vinyl plastic at 25°C is reduced from 2000×10^–6 sec^–1 to 5×10^–6 sec^–1, and that for glass-reinforced laminate from 1000×10^–6 sec^–1 to 1.3×10^–6 sec^–1, the decrease in the modulus of elasticity is about 40% and the decrease in ultimate strength 30 and 48%, as the case may be.Mekhanika polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 76–81, 1965     

Static and vibrational creep of a fabric-reinforced plastic in shear in the plane of the reinforcement

The results of a comparative experimental investigation of the short-term static and vibrational creep of a fabric-reinforced plastic in shear in the plane of the reinforcement are presented. The experimental procedure is described in detail. It is shown that on the investigated ranges of temperature, stress, and amplitude-frequency parameters the effect of an additional vibrational load on the creep process is unimportant.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 605–610, July–August, 1971.     

Seismoacoustic prediction of the fracture processes in glass-reinforced plastics

A technique and equipment for investigating the seismoacoustic emission associated with the fracture of a loaded glass-reinforced plastic are described. It is shown that the emission is present from the beginning of loading and increases regularly up to failure. Glass strands consisting of 100 plain elementary fibers of varying diameter and resin-impregnated strands have been investigated in tension and specimens of glass-reinforced plastic and unreinforced epoxy resin in tension and bending. Experimental data on short-time, static and repeat loading are presented for the glass-reinforced plastic. It is shown how the integral pulse distribution and the pulse amplitude frequency function depend on the applied load level.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 421–429, May–June, 1971.     

Morphology of fractured polymer surfaces self-bonded below the glass transition temperature

Previosly noncontact surfaces of polystyrene (PS) and poly(2,6-dimethyl 1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) were self-bonded in a lap shear joint geometry below the glass transition temperature T_g The joints were then fractured in tension at room temperature and the contact area was analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy. Zones of plastic deformation were revealed on the surfaces of PS and PPO which had been bonded at T_g–33 and T_g–70°C, respectively, thus indicating interdiffusion across the interface. This result points to the lower T_g of the surface layer as compared with that of the bulk sample, in agreement with our previous studies. The unusually high self-bonding ability of PPO (at very low temperatures related to the bulk T_g) is presumably due to the low depth of penetration required to establish entanglements.Presented at the 10th International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, April 20–23, 1998).Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 665–672, September–October, 1998.     

Pyroelectric effect in polarized PVC

The pyroelectric effect has been detected in polarized PVC, and the temperature dependence of the pyroelectric constant p has been measured. The latter proved to be constant and equal to 0.1 cgse/deg·cm² at –130 to +30° C. The data show that p is proportional to the piezoelectric modulus d, with the proportionality factor k=3 · 10⁶ at room temperature. As the temperature falls, k decreases.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 377–378, 1968     

Investigation of polytetrafluorethylene surface texture

Results are given of an X-ray investigation of the formation of a textured surface layer on polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) film and its dependence on external mechanical factors — unit load and sliding speed. It is established that the thickness of the surface texture of PTFE is determined by the relation between the processes of texture formation under the influence of frictional forces and its destruction by wear. These processes, in turn, are determined by the working parameters of the moving joint. Data on the kinetics of polymer surface texture formation in the presence of friction are extremely useful in relation to the design of efficient antifriction materials.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 129–132, 1965