No description available.

A major challenge in tire, as well as in road engineering, is to understand the intricate mechanisms of friction. Pavement texture is a feature of the road surface that determines most tire-road interactions, and can be grouped into two classes: macro-texture, resulting mainly in the hysteretic component of friction, and micro-texture, resulting in adhesion. If both textures are maintained at high levels, they can help provide sufficient resistance to skidding. The ultimate objective of this research is to develop a physics-based multiscale rubber-road friction model that can predict the effectiveness of the tire as it interacts with the vehicle and the pavement. The model is developed based on sound physics and contact mechanics theories and uses road profile measurements and data measured on various tire compounds. To be able to predict road surface characteristics, it is proven that road surfaces are of fractal nature on given ranges of scale. It is shown that while global fractal quantities fail to classify pavement profiles, a local fractal parameter and three other texture parameters can separate road profiles that have different friction characteristics. Through the implementation of various contact theories and by conducting simulation studies, a methodical understanding of contact mechanics and of the effect of the diverse factors that influence friction is attained. To predict the viscoelastic friction between any given tire tread compound and road, the Nanovea JR25 portable optical profilometer is used to measure the road profiles. To characterize the road profile, the one-dimensional pavement measurements are used to obtain the two-dimensional power spectrum, followed by testing and characterizing the tread compounds (this is being carried out by Bridgestone). This data is used to develop a comprehensive analytical methodology to predict friction. To validate this model, a Dynamic Friction Test apparatus is designed and built. The friction tester enables measurement of the friction between tread compound samples and arbitrary surfaces, at different slip ratios. The correlations between the simulations and both indoor and outdoor experimental results are investigated. / Ph. D.

Runway friction testing is performed in order to enhance the safety of aircraft operation on runways. Preventative maintenance friction surveys are performed to determine if there is any deterioration of the frictional resistance on the surface over a period of time and to determine if there is a need for corrective maintenance. In addition operational performance friction surveys are performed to determine frictional properties of a pavement surface in order to provide corrective action information in maintaining safe take-off or landing performance limits. A major issue encountered in both types of friction evaluation on runways is the standardization of the friction measurements from different Continuous Friction Measuring Equipment (CFME). The International Friction Index (IFI) has been formulated to address the above issue and determine the friction condition of a given runway is a standardized format. The ASTM recommended standard procedure to compute the IFI of a runway surface employs two distinct parameters to express the IFI; F60 is the friction value adjusted to a slip speed of 60 km/h and correlated to the standard Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) measurement. And Sp is the speed constant which is governed by the mean profile depth of that surface. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the reliability of the current ASTM procedure to standardize runway friction measurements in terms of IFI. Based on the ASTM standard procedure, two equipment specific calibration constants (A and B) are assigned for each CFME during calibration. Then, in subsequent testing those calibrations constants can be used to adjust the equipment measurements to reliable IFI values. Just as much as A and B are presumed to be characteristic of any given CFME, they are also expected to be independent of the operational speed. The main objective of the annual NASA Runway Friction Workshop held in Wallops Island, Virginia, is to calibrate commonly used CFMEs such that all calibrated equipment would provide a standard reading (i.e. IFI) on a particular surface. During validation of the existing ASTM procedure using the NASA Runway Friction Workshop data it was observed that the single value-based IFI predictions of the calibrated CFMEs were inaccurate resulting in low correlations with DFT measured values. Therefore, a landing pilot should not be left to make a safe decision with such an uncertain single standard friction value because the actual standard friction value could very well be much less than this value. Hence a modified procedure was formulated to treat the calibration constants A and B as normally distributed random variables even for the same CFME. The new procedure can be used to predict the IFI (F60) of a given runway surface within a desired confidence interval. Since the modified procedure predicts a range of IFI for a given runway surface within two bounds, a landing pilot's decision would be made easier based on his/her experience on critical IFI values. However, even the validation of the modified procedure presented some difficulties since the DFT measurements on a few validated surfaces plotted completely outside the range of F60 predicted by the modified method. Furthermore, although the ASTM standard stipulates the IFI (F60) predictions to be independent of the testing speed, data from the NASA Runway Friction Workshop indicates a significant difference in the predictions from the two testing speeds of 65 km/hr and 95 km/hr, with the results from the 65 km/hr tests yielding better correlations with the corresponding DFT measurements. The above anomaly could be attributed to the significantly different FR60 values obtained when the 65 km/hr data (FR65) and 95 km/hr data (FR95) are adjusted to a slip speed of 60 km/hr. Extended analytical investigations revealed that the expected testing speed independency of the FR60 for a particular CFME cannot be supported by the ASTM defined general linear relationship between Sp and the mean profile depth which probably has been formulated to satisfy a multitude of CFMEs operating on a number of selected test surfaces. This very reason can also be attributed to the above mentioned outliers observed during the validation of the modified procedure.

The lubricants that are applied during metal cutting acts on the interface between the tool and the nascent surfaces generated by the cutting process. Dispersions of oil in water made using suitable emulsifier(s) are used as metal cutting lubricants. The efficiency of the emulsion in rendering a low friction layer on the freshly cut surface will depend on the composition of the emulsion and on the speed, load and temperature characteristics in the tribological system. A unique tribometer which can perform friction testing on freshly cut surfaces has been designed and built for the experimental investigation. In this experimental facility experiments are conducted by performing cutting operation inside a pool of the lubricant and friction force is measured in-situ. Experiments at different loads and speeds were performed. The surfaces were subsequently subjected to spectroscopic analysis using X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Lubricity of the base oils on nascent and preformed (oxidized) surfaces are compared by performing friction tests on surfaces which are cut and friction tested without exposing them to the environment, and on surfaces which were cut and exposed to the environment. While the freshly cut surfaces were seen to be sensitive to the structure of the base oil, the oxidized surfaces did not differentiate between the oil structures. Amongst the three base oils tested, aromatic oil was found to exhibit the least friction. This is attributed to tendency of the aromatic chains to react with the surface and form a film, due to the formation of radical anion-metal cation complexes. Results from spectroscopic investigations are presented to substantiate these arguments. The thesis then explores the differences in the tribological behavior promoted by an emulsion between, when it acts on a cut surface and is slid just once, and when it acts on a cut surface slid repeatedly. Due to repeated sliding, friction was found to decrease with sliding time (distance), and the transition from a freshly formed surface to a repeatedly slid one was found to follow a smooth transition. The improvement in lubricity is attributed to the formation of carboxylate type structures (C=O) which get generated due to the tribological action under repeated sliding conditions in the presence of water. Under repeated sliding conditions, the friction as a function of emulsifier concentration is found to exhibit a minimum at a value which is much below the critical micellar concentration of the emulsifier (CMC). However, the variation under continuous cutting followed a different pattern, with the friction undergoing a sharp decrease close to the CMC. The effect of speed on the tribological performance was investigated and friction was found to increase dramatically beyond a critical speed which is marked as the onset of starvation. The characteristic time required for a film to develop on a newly created surface, together with the contact pressure conditions dictated by the load and speed dictates starvation. The films formed at speeds corresponding to starvation conditions was found to have a significantly different chemical structure from that corresponding to a speed less than the starvation speed.. The effect of temperature was found to affect the lubricity adversely. At elevated temperature, the nature of the film was found to change to that to starved condition, even at a speed which does not register starvation when operating at a lower temperature. The effect of solubility of the emulsifier on the friction characteristics were explored by using emulsifiers of varying hydrophilic-lypophilic values (HLB). Lower HLB emulsifiers were found to exhibit lesser friction, than those corresponding to high HLB value. The variation in lubricity is examined in the light of the morphology of the micellar structures which evolve using these emulsifiers. The main conclusions of the thesis are: 1 Evaluation of lubricity of metal cutting fluids warrants a testing strategy which tests their lubricity on freshly cut surfaces. 2 The formation of carboxylate structures aids lubricity while using an emulsion; emulsions which can result in the formation of such structures exhibit better lubricity under cutting conditions. 3 Tribofilms which show characteristic peaks related to chemisorbed oxygen is found to exhibit good lubricity under the test conditions. 4 Emulsifiers which form lamellar micellar structures which aid easy shear give better lubricity in cutting than those which yield spherical micelles.

O movimento relativo entre superfícies planas de contato são comuns a muitos projetos de engenharia. Na operação de muitos mecanismos identificam-se os problemas de atrito como um dos principais obstáculos para o êxito do funcionamento desses dispositivos. Neste trabalho avaliou-se a influência da pressão nominal de contato no atrito estático entre superfícies de aço ABNT 1020 e 1045 contra uma placa de vidro. As superfícies dos corpos de prova foram obtidas através do Processo de Fabricação por Usinagem Com Ferramenta de Geometria Não Definida – Retificação Plana Tangencial. Os corpos de prova foram constituídos de dois grupos: o Grupo A (tipo copo - ABNT1010) e do Grupo B (tipo Maciço - ABNT1045). Todas as superfícies foram caracterizadas quanto à rugosidade, utilizando-se um perfilômetro 3-D óptico sem contato. Para as medições do atrito estático foi utilizado um sistema plano inclinado, com automatização para detecção dos movimentos dos corpos de prova ao longo do tempo. Demonstrou-se que a pressão nominal não influencia os valores de coeficiente de atrito estático. Investigou-se a partir de então, um possível efeito da rugosidade no atrito. A partir dos parâmetros de rugosidade 3D foram calculados os momentos espectrais m0, m2 e m4, e o Parâmetro Largura de Banda, Alfa (α) que foi correlacionado com o coeficiente de atrito estático. Dentro dos parâmetros analisados: Sq, Sdq e Sds, o parâmetro Sq foi o que apresentou a maior discrepância entre os dados coletados. Com base na análise estatística de variância com nível de confiança de 5%, do parâmetro Sq, as amostras foram realocadas em 4 grupos para os quais foram calculados os Parâmetros Alfa. Considerando-se estes grupos de amostras, mostrou-se que o parâmetro alfa afetou o coeficiente de atrito estático, ou seja, quanto maior o parâmetro, maior o coeficiente de atrito estático. / The relative movement among flat surfaces in contact is common for many engineering projects. During the operation of many mechanisms, friction problems are identified as a main obstacle to the successful performance of them. In this study the influence of nominal pressure contact on static friction between steel surfaces (ABNT 1020 and 1045) and glass plate is evaluated. The specimens‘ surfaces were obtained by means of a manufacturing process classified as machining with undefined tool – tangential plane grinding. The specimens were constituted by two groups: the group A (type cup – ABNT1010) and the group B (type compact – ABNT1045). All specimens were characterized with respect to surface roughness, using a 3-D optical non-contact profilometer. For static friction measurements, an inclined plan system was used, with an automated detection of movements of specimens along time. The nominal contact pressure not has any effect on the values of static friction coefficient. Since then, a possible effect of surface roughness on friction was investigated. The spectral moments m0, m2 and m4, and the bandwidth parameter, Alpha (α), were calculated from the 3-D roughness parameters, and this latter was correlated with static friction coefficient. Within the analyzed parameters: Sq, Sdq and Sds, the Sq parameter presented the largest discrepancy within the sampling data. Based on the statistical analysis of variance, with a confidence level of 5%, of Sq parameter, the specimens were relocated into 4 groups, for which we calculated alpha parameter. Considering these groups, we demonstrated that the alpha parameter affected the static friction coefficient, that is, the higher this parameter, the greater the static friction coefficient.