Influence of Contact Area on Tribo Response of Al 6061 in Ambient and Vacuum Environment

Abstract

Aluminium alloys are used in spacecraft and aerospace industries because of their unique properties which are lightweight and high strength. The components of aluminium alloys used in aerospace and space environment are subjected to relative motion which results in the tribo-phenomenon. The designer needs tribo response data for designing components geometrical dimensions. The literature reports inadequate tribo response data, more particularly in a vacuum environment (adverse environment). In the present investigation, experiments were conducted using Al 6061 aluminium alloy pins with different diameters. The cylindrical pin diameters were 2mm, 4mm and 6 mm. The cylindrical pins were slid against a hardened En-8 steel disc. The normal pressure was maintained at 0.625 MPa and the sliding speed was 0.5 ms-1. The estimated friction coefficient from monitored frictional force and normal force and the dependency of estimated friction coefficient on sliding distance for cylindrical pins of different diameters were analysed.