Wear dynamics of a TPU/steel contact under reciprocal sliding

• We study the influence of the TPU/steel contact load, velocity and temperature.
• We observe the influence of the contact changes on the acoustic mission signals.
• We characterize the wear mechanism of TPU by a third body approach.
• We describe the tribological circuit at the TPU/steel interface.
• We describe the accommodation modes at the TPU/steel interface.

The tribological behavior of a thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) sliding against a non-polished steel counterface was studied as a function of load, velocity and temperature under dry conditions. Thermomechanical and chemical analyses were carried out on the TPU using DSC, FTIR and DMTA devices prior to the sliding tests. Contact changes were followed using a speed camera and an acoustic emission device. A simple thermal numerical simulation, to calculate temperature rise generated by friction, completes these analyses. To characterize wear performances, a wear rate was determined by considering the linear dependence between the wear volume and the product of the normal load by the travel distance (Archard model). Finally, wear mechanisms of TPU involve both abrasion scratches and adhesion patterns (Schallamach ridges). To conclude, a wear process description using the third body approach was proposed to gather the whole tribological results.