Research on the Dynamic Behaviors in the Sliding Friction of Silicone

Abstract

With the promotion of soft viscoelastic materials in the field of flexible bionic robots, the behavior of sliding friction between soft viscoelastic materials and rigid materials such as metals has attracted great attention. In this study, the research object was silicone, and a research method combining a dynamic force testing technique and a non-contact optical testing technique for deformation and strain was proposed to study the frictional behavior of silicone and the effect of the tooth structure surface on the sliding friction. We analyzed the temporal changes in the friction force for different loads, the dynamic characteristics of large deformation and micro-strain on the front side (define the contact surface as the bottom surface) of the silicone. The results showed that within a certain range, the sliding friction coefficient of the silicone increased monotonically with increasing load, and there were stick-slip and deformation waves during the relative motion. The larger the load was, the faster the deformation wave propagated, and the tooth structure surface had sliding friction anisotropy.