Interface roughness effect on friction map under fretting contact conditions

In many industrial applications where fretting damage is observed in the contact (e.g. rotor/blade, electrical contacts, assembly joint, axe/wheel, clutch) the external loadings or geometry design cannot be changed. Therefore, the surface preparation and finishing process become essential to control and reduce the damage caused by fretting. In this paper, the authors present the experimental study of the initial surface roughness and machining process influence on fretting conditions in both partial and full sliding regimes. Surfaces prepared by milling and smooth abrasive polishing processes have been analysed. The influence of roughness on sliding behaviour and analysis of friction have been reported. Also, the contact pressure influence and qualitative analysis of fretting wear scar have been presented. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.