The Effect of Surface Roughness on the Wear of Low-Density Polyethylene

Abstract

The wear of low-density polyethylene on steel was studied as a function of the roughness of the steel surface and the sliding speed. The wear rate was found to increase as the speed and roughness increased. The mechanism of wear on surfaces with an Ra roughness of 0.065 μm was shown by SEM photos to be film formation and subsequent film breakup and debris formation. On surfaces with an Ra of 1.16 μm roughness, wear was primarily abrasive as evidenced by large wear particles and minimal film formation. The effect of sliding speed was to accelerate the film formation or abrasive wear rather than alter the wear mechanism. The tendency for film formation was correlated with the surface parameters of skewness and kurtosis. Presented at the 34th Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, April 30–May 3, 1979