Dry sliding wear behaviour of bamboo

Dry sliding wear behaviour of bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) against a grey iron (HT200) was examined on a block-on-ring machine. The wear volume of bamboo was a function of the normal load the sliding velocity and the relative orientation of bamboo fibres with respect to the rubbing surface. The wear volume increased with the normal load and sliding velocity. The normal-oriented specimens (N-type) gave better wear resistance than the parallel-oriented ones (P-S- and P-I-type), and the outside surface layer (P-S-type) gave better resistance than the inner later (P-I-type). Material transfer from bamboo to the counterface took place during the rubbing process for the three types of specimens. The predominant wear mechanisms were adhesion, microcracking and microploughing-microcutting for the P-S- and P-I-type, and adhesion and microcracking for the N-type. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.