Influence of Inclination Angle and Surface Texture of the Plate on Friction and Transfer Layer Formation

In the present investigation, unidirectional grinding marks were attained on the steel plates. Experiments were then conducted using pins of Al-Mg alloy against the prepared steel plates using an inclined pin-on-plate sliding tester. The goal of the research is to understand the influence of grinding mark direction and inclination angle of hard material on the friction and transfer layer formation during sliding. The inclination angle of the plate was held at 0.2°, 0.6°, 1°, 1.4°, 1.8°, 2.2° and 2.6° in the tests. The pins were slid both perpendicular and parallel to the grinding marks direction. Experiments were conducted under both dry and lubricated conditions on each plate in ambient environment. Results showed that the coefficient of friction and formation of transfer layer depend on the grinding marks direction and inclination angle of the hard surfaces. For a given inclination angle, the coefficient of friction and transfer layer formation were found to be more for the pins slid perpendicular to the unidirectional grinding marks when compared to parallel to the unidirectional grinding marks under both dry and lubricated conditions. The stick-slip phenomenon was observed only under lubricated conditions at the highest tilt angle for the sliding perpendicular to the grinding marks direction. These variations could be attributed to the extent of plane strain conditions taking place at the asperity level during sliding.