Experimental Investigation of Triboelectrification Behaviour in the Friction Process

Abstract

The triboelectrification phenomenon can occur during the friction process of metal contact pairs. An in-depth understanding of triboelectrification behaviour is incredibly beneficial to controlling friction and wear. However, due to the complexity of the driving mechanism, it is still challenging to gain a thorough understanding of the triboelectrification behaviour of metal–metal contact pairs. To further reveal the triboelectrification behaviour during the friction process of metal pairs, wear experiments of GCr15 steel–cast iron were carried out on a CFT-I tribometer under oil-free and oil lubrication conditions. The triboelectric current signal was collected during the investigation, and its variation was discussed. The result shows that the varying trend of the triboelectric current was consistent with that of the friction coefficient in the friction process. The triboelectrification of similar metal contact pairs primarily driven by material transfer was closely related to friction and wear conditions.

Keywords

• experimental investigation
• friction
• triboelectrification
• driving mechanism