First experimental results of a simple modular apparatus for friction measurements

The paper describes some preliminary experiments carried out with a simple but very modular apparatus designed and realised for measuring both static and dynamic friction, which has some elements of novelty with respect to other test rigs available on the market or described in the literature. In particular it can be used in two different configurations, i.e. under displacement control of the upper or the lower specimen, the first one connected by an elastic wire to a moving load cell, while the latter connected to a moving plate. The tests were performed to evaluate the capabilities of the apparatus to measure the coefficient of friction by varying many factors that affect its estimation, as normal load, surface conditions, speed of the actuator and type of contact (conformal/non-conformal). Some interesting issues arose that will deserve further investigations