A Pressure-shear Plate Impact Experiment for Investigating Transient Friction

-A pressure-shear plate impact experiment is introduced to study time-resolved friction at interfaces subjected to high sliding speeds under relatively high normal pressures. The conditions of slip at the interface are varied by changing the surface roughness of the impacting plates and by varying the applied normal to shear stress ratio. The configuration offers the simplicity of allowing the interpretation of the experimental data by using the frame-work of one-dimensional plane wave analysis. The interfacial material pairs investigated in the present study are comprised of a wear-resistant grade of tungsten carbide and either an AISI 4340 steel or a Ti-6AI-4V alloy. The experimental results indicate that the coefficient of friction increases with the increase in surface roughness of the tungsten-carbide plates and with cumulative slip at the interface. KEY WORDS--friction analysis, dynamic testing, impact analysis, interferometry, metal working, test procedures.