The friction and wear of rolling and sliding contacts are critical factors for the operation of machine elements such as bearings, gears, and cam mechanisms. In precision machines, for example, the main concern is to compensate for frictional losses, so as to improve control accuracy. In other applications it is often desirable to minimize friction losses to improve efficiency, though sometimes high friction is desired to prevent sliding and wear. The aim of this study is to simulate the behavior of a test equipment and show that simulations can be used to study and optimize mechanical systems that include rolling and sliding contact. Simulations can be used to study the system as a whole, as well as the contact conditions. The test equipment and the measurement procedure used are described. In the simulations, a contact model designed to handle transient contact conditions is integrated into a system model. The results show that the contact strongly influences the system. The simulations show that the use of a contact model allows the simulation of systems that contain contacts with different amounts of slip, and that such simulations can be used to study the contact as well as the system. Surface roughness influences the contact stiffness and is included in the simulations.
Friction and wear behaviour of Scapharca subcrenata under sliding contact conditions as a function of sliding speed and loading level