Fretting wear investigation of 1350-H19 aluminum wires tested against treated surfaces

Fretting is known as the major failure mechanism in overhead power transmission lines. Wear is often observed in the conductor-suspension clamp interface, which is the focus of this investigation. Tests were carried out using 1350-H19 cylindrical wires fretted against flat discs with a load that mimics the real system. Two surface modifications are applied to the discs (a DLC coating and an anodization method) and compared with the state of the art system (SAE 305). The evaluated parameters are coefficient of friction, wear volume and wear morphology. A direct impact of the treatments on the wear volume and the wear mechanisms were found for each material pairing. Furthermore, distinct changes on coefficient of friction and material transfer were identified. Whereas the aluminum/anodized interfaces presented a low performance, the aluminum/DLC showed a significant improvement.