Detection of Incipient Surface Charge Due to Tribological Contact

SGER奖将支持使用表面电位变化来测量材料磨损的可行性研究。白俄罗斯一个实验室的初步结果表明，该技术作为一种现场、非接触、低成本监测磨损过程的方法具有很大的潜力。这项工作最初将集中在不锈钢和单晶硅在真空中磨损的问题上。表面电位的变化将用振动电容开尔文探针测量，并与摩擦和磨损行为相关联。一旦在真空中确定了基线数据，设备将在极性分子液体（如水）的滑动表面上进行测试，以测试在润滑系统中使用该技术的可行性。这位白俄罗斯科学家将参与最初的设备开发和数据分析。

An SGER award will support a study of the feasibility of using changes in surface potential to measure wear of materials. Tentative results from a laboratory in Belarus indicate that the technique has substantial potential as an in situ, non-contact, low-cost method of monitoring wear processes. The work will initially concentrate on stainless steel and single crystal silicon subject to wear in a vacuum. The surface potential changes will be measured with a vibrating capacitor Kelvin probe and correlated with friction and wear behavior. Once the baseline data have been determined in a vacuum the equipment will be tested on surfaces sliding in polar molecular liquids, such as water, in order to test the feasibility of using the technique in lubricated systems. The Belarus scientist will participate in the initial equipment development and data analysis.