Friction between pearlitic steel surfaces

Paper in proceeding, 2018

Experiments rubbing two pearlitic rail steel surfaces against each other were done using an axial-torsion test rig. After the experiments were completed, the surfaces were observed under stereomicroscope, and the wear debris were examined. The aim of the experiments was to evaluate the variation of friction coefficient between two surfaces of pearlitic rail steel, mimicking the friction which occurs between the faces of a crack during Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) loading. For both dry and wet conditions, the sliding velocity, the angles of rotation, and the average normal force were varied. It was found that the most significant effect of changing angles of rotation is on the formation of ridges on the contact surface with large angles, leading to a higher friction coefficient. The presence of water reduces the friction coefficient and leads to less deformation and wear in the contact surface.