Surface Friction and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Polymers

Results are presented of experiments on the lubricated sliding of metals on polymers over a range of speeds and temperatures. These results indicate a correlation between the frictional behavior of materials and their bulk mechanical properties. Support for the experimental correlations is presented in the form of a theory relating the coefficient of rolling friction to bulk mechanical properties. The general conclusions may be expected to hold for metals as well as other materials. The theory may also be expected to apply to well lubricated sliding where shearing forces have been minimized. Under the conditions of lubrication most commonly encountered, the sliding friction is expected to be much more complicated; both the shear properties of the boundary layer and the hysteresis characteristics will be important.