Modeling of the Wear Particle Flow in Tribological Contacts

The dynamics of tribological systems with pronounced memory effects are characterized by the complex coupling of mechanical, thermal, and chemical processes. At the Institute of Dynamics and Vibrations in Braunschweig, Cellular Automata have been developed that facilitate the evaluation of dynamics in technically relevant systems within a reasonable time. The flow of wear material is decisive for the formation, localization, and reconstitution of load-bearing structures or films. In this paper, two opposed frictional contacts are chosen exemplarily for the investigation of the wear particle flow: a vehicle brake system and the sanding of wood. For this purpose, a modeling technique is proposed that is based on established force laws for micro particles and differentiates mechanisms of transport for different phases of the particle movement. The resulting transport of a single particle interacting with the topology of the frictional gap is analyzed for varying particle properties and process parameters. In a second step the insights are transferred to a set of rules for a Cellular Automaton which allows for quick evaluation and the incorporation of coupled effects. The validity and quality of the model transfer are discussed. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)