Fine-Scale Mechanical Properties of Sliding Solids.
Abstract
This report describes fine-scale contact experiments specifically designed to investigate the mechanical properties of materials at the submicroscopic level. The first part deals with experiments carried out using an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) mechanical microprobem in which adhesion and friction are measured between a sharply-pointed metal tip and a flat surface at very light loads. The results show that, for a metal-metal or metal-ceramic interface, the adhesion and frictional resistance to tangential sliding are highest for clean surfaces in UHV. However, for contacts between a metal tip and an amorphous metallic glass both adhesion and friction are lower after standard cleaning procedures in UHV. Part II describes fine-scale indentation measurements on thin films ad ion-implanted surfaces carried out in the laboratory ambient. It is shown that surface layers less than a few hundred nanometres thickness can be successfully characterised in terms of plastic, elastic and time-dependent properties. Keywords: Adhension, Friction, Microhardness, Ultra-high vacuum, Mechanical microprobe, Sub-micron indentation device, Microdeformation, Mechanical characterisation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 28, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA182940
Entities
People
- H. M. Pollock
- J. D. Ross
Organizations
- University of Lancaster