Experimental and numerical investigation of the sliding behaviour in a fretting contact between poly(methylmethacrylate) and a glass counterface

The fretting conditions in a contact between poly (methylmethacrylate) and a rigid counterface have been investigated using both experiments and finite elements computations. The computation of the microdisplacements in the contact area during a tangential loading allowed the determination of the critical displacement for transition from partial sliding to gross sliding conditions. These conditions were mapped in friction maps as a function of the contact loading parameters (i.e., normal load and displacement amplitude) and the friction coefficient. This analysis was performed assuming that the polymer behaved elastically and that the friction obeyed Coulomb's law. Experimental results were found to be in accordance with the numerical predictions, despite the fact that some plastic deformation of the polymer surface occurred during tangential loading. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd