Inverse determination of sliding surface temperature based on measurements by thermocouples with account of their thermal inertia

Abstract

This study developed an inverse heat conduction algorithm to determine temperature at a sliding surface taking account of thermocouple thermal inertia. The direct heat conduction problem was solved analytically based on the Laplace integral transform approach. The inverse algorithm was applied to the problem of friction of a brake material against a steel. The experiments were conducted on a pin-on-disc tribometer for three short-time sliding regimes: velocity step, acceleration and deceleration. Temperature in the pin sample was measured by two identical miniature thermocouples installed at different distances from the friction surface. It was found that the two inverse surface temperatures agree well between each other. The inverse algorithm allows predicting the contact temperature measured by infrared thermography with accuracy 5–7%.