Tribometer – Wear Testing Device (CSM Instrument Tribometer)

Wear is defined as the continuous material loss and damage that occurs due to the relative movement of one surface against another. The tribometer device is used to perform wear tests on solid materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and coatings.

The device operates using "ball-on-disc" and "pin-on-disc" mechanisms. Wear tests are conducted under loads ranging from 0.25 N to 20 N, using different balls (such as steel, Si₃N₄, WC, and Al₂O₃) and at speeds between 0.5 cm/s and 50 cm/s.

The wear process is carried out using two different types of movement mechanisms:

1. Reciprocating (linear) head, which moves back and forth along the surface.

2. Rotating head, which performs circular motion for surface abrasion.

Test results include:

• The average coefficient of friction of the sample,

• Wear rate (measured using a profilometer and entered into the tribometer software),

• Wear rate of the ball (measured by determining the ball diameter using a microscope and input into the software).

Additionally, by entering the elastic modulus values of both the sample and the ball into the software, the maximum Hertzian pressure can also be calculated.