In-situ measurement of near-surface fretting contact temperatures in an aluminum alloy

Fretting is the tribological phenomenon observed in nominally-clamped components which experience vibratory loads or oscillations. Associated with fretting contacts are regions of small-amplitude relative motion or microslip that occurs at the edges of contact. A newly-available infrared technology capable of resolving temperatures fields finely, both spatially and temporally, is used to characterize the near-surface conditions associated with fretting contact between an aluminum alloy cylinder and flat. Both frictional heating due to interfacial slip and the coupled-thermoelastic effect arising from strains in the material induce these temperatures. The experimental results provide insight into not only the magnitude and distribution of near-surface temperatures, but also the nature of the contact stress field and the mechanics of partial slip fretting contacts. Comparisons of the measured temperature fields are made with those predicted by considering both conduction of the frictional heat flux and coupled-thermoelastic theory.