Hot surfaces generated by sliding metal contacts and their effectiveness as an ignition source

Frictional processes caused by malfunctions may lead to hot surfaces and mechanical sparks. Whenever mechanical sparks occur due to friction, there are also hot surfaces. The time until the ignition source becomes effective is largely dependent on the thermal conductivity of the friction partners. Based on this, it was examined whether classification into the explosion groups and temperature classes of IEC 60079-0 is possible and useful. This research therefore focuses on the development of hot surfaces and their effectiveness. To assess the formation of hot surfaces, tests for temperature development according to the applied power density and the different materials were performed in a friction apparatus. The experimental setup is realised via a friction pin which is pressed onto a rotating friction disc. The variation of the power density was carried out by changing the velocity and load per area. The temperature distribution was detected by thermocouples, two pyrometers and an infrared camera. For the investigation of the incendivity of hot surfaces, the ignition curves were determined by characteristic reference gases and vapours of the IEC explosion groups and temperature classes. Tests have been carried out with hydrogen, ethylene, diethyl ether, propane and pentane. The experiments have shown that a larger thermal conductivity of the steel used can lead to slow down heating of the pin material. With an increasing wear rate the maximum temperature decreases. It was possible to determine the maximum temperatures at specific power inputs. The ignition tests show that ignitions are possible even at low velocities. The effective ignition source was thereby always the hot surface. The result was a graduation of the explosion limits analogous to the order of Maximum experimental safe gap (MESG) values. In contrast, no significant relationship between the ignition limits and the temperature class of the respective substances was revealed.