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Abstract
The adhesion theory of friction, developed for metals, has been used to interpret the friction of many other substances. For example, rock salt and several linear polymers deform plastically under large hydrostatic pressures. It has been shown that the temperature variations of the coefficient of friction and the ratio of the bulk shear strength to the hardness are similar in form but have not usually the same value. Further work has shown that a single law of deformation is often sufficient to explain the frictional behaviour. The area of contact was also found to be time-dependent and this had a corresponding effect on the magnitude of the friction. The major part of the friction and wear is caused by shearing of the weaker polymer, although a small amount of metal can be plucked out by the polymer. The wear of drawn nylon fibres has been studied using the newly-developed technique of reflection electron microscopy. It is found that when a flat metal slider is rubbed along a fibre, severe damage occurs in the centre of the wear track above a critical load. An unexpected feature is the concave profile of the wear track.
