Abstract
Sliding resistance in gear teeth can have a dominant effect on housing vibration, noise and efficiency. One of the parameters that greatly influence the friction under certain running conditions is surface roughness. In this work, rough friction was measured in lubricated sliding of roller surfaces. By examining 3D surface topography of two mating bodies, both surface roughness and its interaction between contacts were studied. For this purpose, a rough-friction test rig was designed and constructed. In this rig the contact pressure between two rollers can be varied while controlling the sliding speed. The input / output torques and forces can be measured simultaneously. Rollers that were manufactured to simulate the real gear surfaces were examined by a 3D stylus profilometer (resolution 4 nm). Results are expressed in terms of Stribeck curves (friction coefficient as the function of Hersey parameter [ηv/p]). The results showed good agreement with current theory.
