Effect of velocity and interference depth on the tribological properties of alumina sliding with Cu: A molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract The friction performance of alumina sliding against copper was studied by molecular dynamics simulation to understand the wear mechanism of ultrasonic motors (USM) from an atomic dimension. Importantly, the influence of velocity and interference depth on the nanotribological properties of Cu-Al2O3 was studied. The simulated results showed that both friction and normal force increased with an increasing velocity and interference depth. Wear rate also increased with an increasing interference depth. The adhesive wear mechanism dominated the wear process of interface. This study will provide a theoretical guidance for exploring the wear mechanism of USM from a nanoscale.