Abstract
We present sphere-on-ice friction experiments as a function of temperature, contact pressure, and speed. At temperatures well below the melting point, friction is strongly temperature dependent and follows an Arrhenius behavior, which we interpret as resulting from the thermally activated diffusive motion of surface ice molecules. We find that this motion is hindered when the contact pressure is increased; in this case, the friction increases exponentially, and the slipperiness of the ice disappears. Close to the melting point, the ice surface is plastically deformed due to the pressure exerted by the slider, a process depending on the slider geometry and penetration hardness of the ice. The ice penetration hardness is shown to increase approximately linearly with decreasing temperature and sublinearly with indentation speed. We show that the latter results in a nonmonotonic dependence of the ploughing force on sliding speed. Our results thus clarify the complex dependence of ice friction on temperature, contact pressure, and speed.
Highlights
It is commonly believed that ice is slippery due to the presence of a layer of liquidlike water on the surface of ice which acts as a lubricant
Close to the melting point, the ice surface is plastically deformed due to the pressure exerted by the slider, a process depending on the slider geometry and penetration hardness of the ice
Authors have suggested that the diffusion of water molecules over the ice surface is responsible for low ice friction at high temperatures and low sliding speeds [14]
Summary
It is commonly believed that ice is slippery due to the presence of a layer of liquidlike water on the surface of ice which acts as a lubricant. The lubricating layer that allows ice skating has been attributed to pressure-induced [2] or friction-induced [3] melting of the ice surface and to the presence of a premelted layer of ice [4]. Authors have suggested that the diffusion of water molecules over the ice surface is responsible for low ice friction at high temperatures and low sliding speeds [14]. The temperature, sliding speed, surface topography, and surface geometry; (ii) friction on ice increases exponentially with the local contact pressure, suggesting that this pressure frustrates the mobility of the lubricating layer; (iii) in the water-immersed sphere-on-artificial ice experiment, we observe the onset of mixed lubrication at sliding speeds above 1 m=s, indicating that most of our ball-on-ice experiments are likely boundary lubricated
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