Introduction

Method and testing apparatus for the automatic and precise identification, by means of numerical methods, of the inflection of the Abbott-Firestone curve of the topographic measurement of the worn surface. The solution is aimed at characterising traces of wear in tribological tests, distinguishing the components of material transported and material brought back and the measurement of the volume of worn material

Technical features

Method for the automatic and precise characterisation of the volume of the material removed and reported in wear tests. The method is based on an algorithm for the direct identification of the inflection of the Abbott-Firestone curve of the measured topography. Topographic measurement guarantees high accuracy and precision. The method provides for the pre and post wear measurement of the component to remove the effect of surface roughness and shape from the characterisation of the wear phenomenon. This makes the method applicable to composite materials finished by means of mechanical machining, often resulting in complex topographies, and to real components, such as the tooth flanks of the gear wheels. The method is integrated into a simple and inexpensive test rig, is fast to perform and has a high TRL

TRL: 7

Possible Applications

• Tribological bench and model testing;
• Pin-on-disc;
• Gear fretting;
• Composite, CERMET wear.

Advantages

• Robustness and high precision;
• High accuracy thanks to topographical measurement;
• Automatic identification of Abbott-Firestone curve flex;
• Roughness and Shape removal;
• Applicable to real material and components;
• Integration in simple and economic apparatus.