Effect of Moisture Content on Rubber, Steel and Tetrafluoroethylene Materials Sliding on Textured Soils

Seth Idowu Manuwa

doi:10.5539/mas.v6n4p117

Abstract

There is the need to evaluate soil parameters of Nigerian soil that are necessary in the design of suitable and appropriate soil engaging implements. Laboratory investigations were carried out to evaluate angle of soil/material friction (or coefficient of soil/material friction) necessary in the design of soil-engaging implements. Facility used in the investigation was soil-material friction device or sliding shear apparatus. The soils investigated were loamy sand (IGLS), sandy loam (H3) and clay (H2) soils. The materials tested were rubber (RUB), steel (SST), galvanized steel (GAS) and Teflon (TEF). Results showed that coefficient of soil/material friction increased with moisture content to a maximum and thereafter decreased. The value ranged from 0.13 to 0.85 in the three soil textures and the trend can be described by polynomial equations for the purpose of prediction. Rubber had the highest coefficient of soil/interface friction while Teflon had the least.

Highlights

Soil sliding resistance is made up of friction and adhesion forces that are brought about between the soil and material interface
The tangential stress varies with the soil moisture content in the following way: the trend was constant as the moisture increased gradually to the lower plastic limit
At the lower plastic limit the tangential. stress increased rapidly to a maximum as the moisture increased to the upper plastic limit For all the soil textures, it was observed that friction and adhesion increased as moisture content increased until a peak point at the upper limit consistency of the soil when it reached a maximum and thereafter decreased

Summary

Introduction

Soil sliding resistance is made up of friction and adhesion forces that are brought about between the soil and material interface. Adhesion of soil to terrain machines components is a universal phenomenon and can be very serious It can decrease productivity, increase energy consumption and affect the quality of work (Gill & Vanden Berg, 1968). The factors that influence the strength of soil sliding resistance include, soil moisture content, normal stress, static stage in the sliding system, soil texture, porosity, material characteristics, sliding velocity, material type, level of normal stress, stiffness of loading and rigidity of the soil materials and maximum values of the normal stress during the course of the test history (Li, et al, 2004) It was reported (Ren, et al, 2001) that soil adhesion was increased as the proportion of clay particles in the soil increased and was highest when the soil moisture content was between plastic limit and liquid limit

Methods

Results

Conclusion