Both the mean temperature of the apparent sliding surface (mean temperature, θ
m) and the average temperature of real contacting asperities (flash temperature, θ
f) are considerea to be directly related to friction and wear. θ
m of aluminum alloys was calculated from the temperature gradient of the specimen measured by thermocouples and θ
f was measured by the dynamic thermoelectromotive force method on a pin-disc machine using an aluminum alloy pin and a 17Cr stainless steel disc under unlubricated conditions. Specimens of Y-alloy and high silicon aluminum alloy were used. Measured values were compared with the calculated ones deduced theoretically from simple models. Linear relations between θ
m and μPV and between θ
f and
μP
1/2V are expected theoretically, where μ; frictional coefficient, P; load, V; sliding speed.
Under the sliding conditions of no scuffiing, a linear relation was obtained betweenθ
m and
μPV. The θ
f. changed linearly with
μV, but no linear relation was obtained between θ
f and
μP
1/2V since the slope varied with P. The wear rate at a constant sliding speed also increased linearly with P under the conditions of no scuffing. Although the slopes of these straight lines, which did not go through the origin, varied with the sliding speed, the values of load axis intercepts were almost constant and about -5.7 kg for Y-alloy and -4.7 kg for high silicon aluminum alloy. When the apparent load, P
a, which was the actual load plus 5.7 kg for Y-alloy and plus 4.7 kg for high silicon aluminum alloy were considered, a linear relation was found between θ
f and μP1/2 a V. This suggests that the effect of variation of the number of real contacting asperities with load can be eliminated by taking the apparent load into consideration. Linear relations between θ
m and
μPV and between θ
f and
μP
a1/2 V did not hold when scuffing occurred.
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