Quantitative investigation on single-asperity friction and wear of phosphate laser glass against a spherical AFM diamond tip

The single-asperity friction and wear behaviors of Nd-doped phosphate laser glass against a spherical diamond AFM tip were quantitatively investigated with respect to normal load, friction cycles, and velocity. Specific friction and wear equations were proposed to fit the experiment data obtained in the single-pass nanoscratch and multi-pass reciprocating sliding tests, respectively. The contribution of both the interfacial fiction and the plowing friction under specific sliding conditions was analyzed, and the corresponding wear mechanism was discussed. The results would be useful in understanding the mechanisms of friction and material removal in ultra-precision cutting and polishing of glass materials.