Influence of vibrated area and normal force on friction reduction ratio between NBR/aluminum couple

•A static friction and ultimate displacement test rig was developed.•The friction with vibrations can be reduced to 22.6% of the original.•A positive relationship is observed between friction reduction and average vibration amplitude.

Vibrations have been applied to reduce friction force and improve product quality in manufacturing processes, such as grinding and turning. These investigations mainly focus on the vibrations of the metal and metal couple. However, few researchers have investigated the effect of vibrations between the rubber and metal couples, especially when the vibrated area is considered. This research develops a measurement system to explore the influence of vibrated region and normal force on the static friction and ultimate displacement. Compared to the test results without vibrations, the static friction force of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR)/aluminum couple decreases substantially. In addition, when the aluminum substrate is excited in the center and a standing wave is introduced along the horizontal direction, a positive relationship is observed between the friction reduction effect and the average vibration amplitude measured on the contact surface.