PROJECT TITLE :

Sliding Conformal Contact Tribocharging of Polystyrene and Polyvinyl Chloride

ABSTRACT:

The electric double layer is thought to affect thin-film lubrication. Different researchers have shown that tribocharging affects the breaking torque in a metal shaft-oil-lip seal system which an external electrical field may be used to regulate this phenomenon. One main issue in of these studies is that the characterization of the charging state of the bodies to bear. This is sort of a troublesome challenge when the contact happens between 2 insulating materials. The final aim of this paper is to validate an experimental procedure acceptable for making certain the reproducibility of the tribocharging conditions in sliding contacts between polymeric materials. The experiments were performed with samples of polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride. Surface potential measurements were done to evaluate the tribocharging effects. The experiments recognized that the quantity of charge accumulated on the sliding bodies depends on the external force applied to the contact and the amount of tribocharging cycles (i.e., back-and-forth relative motions). But, this charge is nonuniformly distributed on the surface of the samples. This means that it can be troublesome to use the tribocharging impact for controlling the charging state and, hence, the lubrication of the contact between 2 insulating bodies.