Testing methods in tribology of polymeric composites

This article attempts to describe some of the testing methods commonly used in tribology. It namely illustrates the contact of solid mechanics and nature of surface interaction. With the advent of sustainable development, composite materials now become more prominent in many applications. Many natural fibres in polymeric composites are being introduced in aviation industry, construction, industrial applications, automotive parts, bearing and many others, making tribo-testing more demanding. Relevant to this, the testing methods elaborated here are focused on the different types of wear test rigs used for testing of solid specimens for composite materials. Different mechanisms of wear and sliding friction of materials subjected to different wear test rigs which are built based on ASTM standards simulating the real time conditions are explained. Typical factors contributing to the wear performance of a material such as interfaces temperature (i.e. test specimen / counterface) under dry and wet tribo-testing conditions and roughness property are also detailed.