Frictional heating calculations for polymers

In a previous study, the authors highlighted the importance of estimating flash temperature at the contact surface of a polymer rubbing against steel. Subsequently a calculation method based on experimental tests was developed. The aim of this work is the validation of such method on different kinds of polymers, such as Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber (NBR), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The characteristics of the materials are analyzed by means of Thermo Gravimetric (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analyses. Frictional tests are performed on an Optimol SRV tribometer in high frequency reciprocating motion. The viability of the calculation method and its limits are herein explained