Project Abstract

Ball-on-disk (B.O.D.) testing is commonly used in the study of interactions between surfaces in relative motion, also known as Tribology. In this type of test, a load is applied to a stationary ball which is placed in contact with either a rotating or reciprocating workpiece and friction and wear are then monitored as the load is varied over time. Using COMSOL Multiphysics software, in conjunction with MixedPEHL Contact Mechanics software, we can numerically simulate the transient temperature rise in and on the surface of the workpiece during B.O.D. testing. Most researchers agree that scuffing is thermal in nature and frictional heating due to interacting asperities is an important parameter. Hence through these simulations, we seek to determine how the heat input due friction between the contact surfaces relates to abrasive surface failure, or scuffing and affects the temperature distribution and thermomechanical properties of the material. Understanding how load, material and other parameters affect the temperature distribution in the solid, may ultimately contribute to the long term goal of determining the criteria governing scuffing and could lead to new ways of mitigating this failure in metal-on-metal contacts, such as piston-cylinder wall contact.