Shear Properties of Thin Polymeric Films

Abstract

When a thin solid organic coating is interposed between two contacting and sliding surfaces we may define a strength property τ as the frictional force per unit area of solid-solid contact. This paper reviews recent work on the influence of contact pressure, temperature and sliding velocity on τ for a range of high molecular weight organic polymers and lower molecular weight organic solids. It is shown that the shear properties of these thin films resemble those of the corresponding bulk polymers if allowance is made for the high degree of molecular orientation produced in the film during sliding.