Investigation of the influence of velocity in a tribological three-body system containing a single layer of rolling hard particles from a mechanical point of view

Abstract Tribological systems can be strongly influenced by the presence of an intermediate layer of hard particles. These particles affect the coefficient of friction, wear and even the surface morphology of the first bodies. Therefore, a straightforward mechanical substitute model is introduced, which describes how hard particles of almost arbitrary geometry influence the dynamics of a tribological system. Based on this model, a system characterizing quantity, the velocity limit, is defined. Permanent contact exists only if the tangential relative velocity of the first bodies is below this velocity limit, otherwise, the contact is temporarily interrupted. First experiments confirm the applicability of the analytically derived velocity limit. Th us the model proves to be a valid tool to describe this velocity dependent phenomenon.